Coca Cola Zero

I went to my mom’s home for lunch the other day and took a can of Coca Cola zero home. I remember I liked Coke a lot when I was a kid but I had grown out of it a long time ago. I do take a cup of Coke occasionally when eating out but haven’t bought one myself for quite a while.

So after getting home, I looked at the label. It reads “real taste, zero sugar”. The nutrition information says it contains 0 kcal, 0 g sugar. The ingredients are: carbonated water, colour (E150d), acidity regulators (E338, E331), sweeteners (E951, E950), caffeine and other flavourings, preservative (E211). So what the hell are E150d, E338, E221, E950, E951, E211? This is like a can of chemicals with codes!!

I needed to find out more before I decided whether I should drink this liquid, so I searched for more information on the internet, here is my finding:

1) E150d - Sulphite ammonia caramel
A colouring agent made by controlled heat treatment of sugar with ammonia and sulphite containing compounds. The caramel group of colours (see also E150a, E150b and E150c) are the most widely used group of colours, comprising some 98% of all colours used. Between them they can be found in beer, brown bread, buns, chocolate, biscuits, brandy, chocolate flavoured flour based confectionery, coatings, decorations, fillings and toppings, crisps, dessert mixes, doughnuts, fish and shellfish spreads, frozen desserts, glucose tablets, gravy browning, ice cream, jams, milk desserts, pancakes, pickles, sauces and dressings, soft drinks particularly cola drinks, stouts, sweets, vinegar, whisky and wines….

Heating sugar with ammonia and sulphite containing compounds? Hmmm, make me think of the smell of ammonia…

2) E338 – Phosphoric acid.
Phosphoric acid is a food acid or acidity regulator. It is produced chemically from phosphate ore. Phosphoric acid can be used for rust removal as it converts iron (III) oxide to soluble phosphate compound. One study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that women who consumed cola daily had lower bone density. It is not known whether this is caused by phosphoric acid, caffeine, or simply because women drinking cola don’t drink milk as much.

Another study comparing the effects of cola (generally contains phosphoric acid), non-cola carbonated beverages (substitute citric acid) and coffee (control for caffeine) found that drinking 2 or more colas per day more than doubled the incidence of kidney disease (chronic kidney disease and kidney stones).

Looks like phosphoric acid is not good for drinking either.

3) E221 - Sodium sulphite
Sodium Sulphite is a salt of Sulphurous Acid. Sulphites are preservatives used in food as anti-oxidants to prevent brownage, and to kill micro-organisms within the food. Sulphites are linked with causing asthma, anaphylaxis and contact allergies in human. In less serious doses they frequently cause headaches and the other familiar symptoms of a 'hangover' after consuming them.

4) E950 - Acesulfame potassium
Acesulfame potassium is an artificial sweetener, like aspartame, it is 180-200 times sweeter than table sugar. Several sources quote that Acesulfame K is one of the worst artificial sweeteners. The additive is inadequately tested. FDA based its approval on tests of acesulfame K that fell short of the FDA's own standards. Some tests indicated that this additive might cause tumor and cancer in animals.

5) E951 - Aspartame
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that causes a lot of controversies. US FDA considers it as a “safe” additive but 75% of the adverse reactions to food additives that were reported to the US FDA have been concerning aspartame. These reactions include: headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, muscle spasm, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, vision problems, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, vertigo, tinitus, memory loss and joint pain.

It is also believed that certain chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting aspartame. For example brain tumours, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, birth defects, diabetes and ME.

6) E211 – Sodium benzoate
Sodium benzoate is a preservative. It is bacteriostatic and fungistatic under acidic conditions. In combination with ascorbic acid (vitamin C, E300), sodium benzoate may form benzene, a known carcinogen. Sodium benzoate by itself can also damage mitochondrial DNA (mitochondria are cell organelles responsible for energy production). There are many illnesses now tied to DNA damage, including Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases, and aging. Some artificial colours, when paired with sodium benzoate (E211) may be linked to hyperactive behaviour.

After reading the long list of food additives and their adverse health effects, I took much courage to open the can and took one sip. Something is wrong, it doesn’t taste like the “real thing”. It tastes plain, like drinking carbonated water with some cola flavour. It doesn’t taste good at all. Despite that I was very thirsty, I could only manage to take 2-3 sips and then put the can down. A soft drink that doesn’t taste good and not good to my health? No way, I am not going to risk it. I don’t need zero sugar, zero calories either.

I always believe that you should eat something that is either healthy or tasty. If it is not healthy, it has to be at least tasty and vice versa. But Coca Cola Zero is neither healthy nor tasty. So goodbye Coca Cola zero, this would be my last can of it.