Not aging fast enough? Drink a soda!
by Tom
Laskawy
26 Apr 2010
Hoo boy. The American Beverage Association isn't going to like this
news one bit. Food companies now add significant amounts of phosphates
to soda and other processed foods. And now researchers have found
evidence that phosphates may
accelerate aging (via
Science Daily):
High phosphate levels may also increase the prevalence and
severity of age-related complications, such as chronic kidney
disease and cardiovascular calcification, and can also induce severe
muscle and skin atrophy.
"Humans need a healthy diet and keeping the balance of phosphate
in the diet may be important for a healthy life and longevity," said
M. Shawkat Razzaque, M.D., Ph.D., from the Department of Medicine,
Infection and Immunity at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
"Avoid phosphate toxicity and enjoy a healthy life."
"Soda is the caffeine delivery vehicle of choice for millions of
people worldwide, but comes with phosphorous as a passenger" said
Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal.
"This research suggests that our phosphorous balance influences the
aging process, so don't tip it."
This has nothing to do with sweeteners, food coloring or any other
previously established badness associated with soda and processed food
-- it's a "new and improved" risk.
And what, pray tell, are these phosphates doing there in the first
place? According to
other scientists, food companies starting adding them at high levels
only in the last 20 years:
...[W]hile a moderate level of phosphate plays an essential role
in living organisms, the rapidly increasing use of phosphates as a
food additive has resulted in significantly higher levels in average
daily diets. Phosphates are added to many food products to increase
water retention and improve food texture.
"In the 1990s, phosphorous-containing food additives contributed
an estimated 470 mg per day to the average daily adult diet," he
said. "However, phosphates are currently being added much more
frequently to a large number of processed foods, including meats,
cheeses, beverages, and bakery products. As a result, depending on
individual food choices, phosphorous intake could be increased by as
much as 1000 mg per day."
"Increase water retention and improve food texture"?! That's worth
shaving years off our lives for sure! We're all lab rats now.
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