Diet Coke Plus A Health Risk?
Is it just me, or is the number of “nutrition-enhanced” foods and beverages starting to scare anyone? Look, I understand the importance of getting my vitamins and minerals, particularly if you’re taking Alli like I am. And, while I try to eat a varied diet since it remains the best source of good nutrition, I do take a multi-vitamin with minerals every day.
Which is why I’d never consider also drinking something like new Diet Coke Plus which, according to Medill Reports, includes vitamin supplements selected by consumers. In addition to the usual calorie-free soda, the drink also contains niacin, B6, B12, zinc and magnesium.
Look, I’ve heard of people hooked on Diet Coke, some of whom even drink 12 cans daily. No doubt, many of these folks will be tempted to make the switch to Diet Coke Plus thinking that it’s more h
But they couldn’t be more wrong.
- Too much B6, for instance, can lead to numbness in hands and/or feet, suicidal tendencies, heart palpitations, spinal and nerve degeneration… you get the point.
- Too much B12 is associated with anemia, some types of leukemia, liver and kidney diseases and more.
- Too much magnesium can cause cardiovascular disease, muscle and joint pain, low blood pressure, depression and more spinal/nerve degeneration.
- Too much niacin triggers flushing, tingling skin, gout, diabetes-like symptoms and more.
These “enhanced” drinks tout their vitamin and mineral content which, as far as Coke’s manufacturer is concerned, make them “health and wellness” products. Unfortunately, folks who drink diet soda like it was water are most likely to fall for this dangerous marketing gimmick. But, really, when was the last time water gave you spinal and nerve degeneration, heart palpitations and suicidal tendencies?
8 Responses to “Diet Coke Plus A Health Risk?”
I’m skeptical that anyone drinking THAT much coke is going to overdose on any of those things because they’re not eating anything else nutritional to add to it in the first place. The regular diet Coke drinkers will just get aspartame poisoning.
Just another thing I have to worry about- my Mom is a serious diet cola addict and she takes numerous medications. She already sent herself to the hospital last year on her grapefruit diet that back fired with her meds. I have already gone on a blue streak about her getting sick from aspartames- now I have to worry about Mom overdosing on vitamins… GREAT!
First, I think all diet drinks are bad bad bad for you, because of the nutrasweet. That stuff is way worse than sugar. And even way worse than HF corn syrup. I usually only drink water, but if I drink cokes (that’s Texan for any “soda”), I’ve moved to cokes with only pure cane sugar.
Also, I think putting anything that could be called a coke in any way, shape, or form under “health and wellness” is borderline criminal. Irresponsible goes without saying.
However, I don’t think the toxicity of vitamins is anything you would need to worry about in these products in most cases (the other stuff, for sure; the vitamins, no). You have to really overdo these vitamins to cause toxicity (except niacin).
B6 is considered nontoxic up to 100mg per day (as a supplement, not including what a “normal” diet includes). And (yes, I’m a dork, I went and grabbed my vitamin bottles and also one of Frank’s Full Throttle cans for comparison, because you made me really curious) based on a 2K calorie diet (does anyone actually eat a 2K calorie diet?), the recommended daily allowance is 2mg. And the Full Throttle can says that it provides (haha, like these drinks provide anything, right?) 60% of the RDA of B6, which is 1.2mg. So you’d have to drink close to 100 of the Full Throttles to go overboard on your B6. Even if you’re taking a multivitamin/mineral, you’re usually getting 2mg in supplements total, so you have a long way to go before you get to toxic.
I haven’t been able to find any known amount of B12 toxicity. There probably is one, they just don’t know what it is… This is the only one I would worry about just scanning the list, because you don’t pee out the B12 you don’t use, you recycle it, and it builds up in your liver, and I don’t like stuff in my body that I can’t get rid of (except that, of course, I most likely have a B12 deficiency). Still, Full Throttle (we don’t keep anything that starts with “diet” in the house) contains only 30% of the RDA, and if toxicity was at a low amount, I’m sure “they” would know about it.
Magnesium is also unlikely to become toxic through supplements unless you have a bowel problem or not fully functioning kidneys or an underactive thyroid (plus a couple of other risk factors such as being on meds that contain Mg). It’s considered safe up to 350mg. But you have put me onto something I’m going to ask my neuro about (because guess who has an underactive thyroid and a bowel problem and has horrible nerve pain and muscle problems that won’t go away! Oh, plus facial parasthesias, chalked up to seizures, and my seizure meds? Contain Mg. Of course.). Thanks!
Oh my word. I actually took niacin on accident one day. My mom was telling me to take an aspirin or something for a headache, and I accidentally took 2 niacin instead. My whole body was one tingle explosion. Did not enjoy! Anyway, RDA of Niacin is 20mg, and it is thought to cause liver damage at over 35mg/day in supplement form. So if you’re taking a supplement (mine has 25mg of niacin), then you only have 10mg in supplements allowed before you’re getting into the danger zone. Well, the giant can of Full Throttle that my husband drinks contains 60% of the RDA of niacin (what is that, 12mg?). Yeah, so if you’re taking a multi that gives you 25 and drinking a nasty drink that gives you another 12, you’re in liver damage zone.
Ok, so that was a long, rambly comment that said basically, “Kate, no need to worry, NO WAIT! WORRY! YOU’RE SO RIGHT! NO MORE FULL THROTTLE FOR FRANK! EVER!”
Poor Frank.
Thank you for writing about this. I don’t think that people realize that too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Some people think that if it is good for you to take one, two is better which can be the absolute opposite of the truth.
As of i now, coke is no longer a populr drink here in india.
It is known to dissolve bones even and is harmful to teeth too.
I saw that link for 12 cans. I am afraid if i have taken 12 cans in the past one year..
For the commenter from India- the part about the teeth is true… My Mom has missing teeth due to excess soda drinking- so does one Aunt and I have a cousin who has had dentures since her 30’s due to a severe regular coke habit. -Michelle Smart not Cheap
I have a sister-in-law who had to get her teeth capped as a child because she drank so much Coke it destroyed them.
Have more than seven states in India banned it? It’s appalling how aggressive Coca Cola marketed their stuff to kids there and elsewhere, but meanwhile tries to jump on the “health bandwagon” here.
I’ll stick with coffee, tea and water!
My wife is a coke-whore! Ha! And I just called her that yesterday because it’s a fact she loves coke. It’s her only vice. After hearing her friend lost 13 pounds by giving up coke she’s decided to quit coke altogether starting Monday. I keep telling her it will be the best thing for her as all that sugar is really bad.
I’ve never liked the taste of diet drinks and never drink them and I think their claims of being “diet” is a bunch of bull. I’d stay away from them. Water is the best possible thing you can drink!
Best of luck in your goals!