Soft drinks are hard on us

Soft drinks. I am sure this very name rings a pleasant bell in our minds. Soft drinks are today's rage, trend and fashion. Having a soft drinks (especially cola) is considered by today's youth as something "cool".

We find soft drink companies sponsoring cricket matches and other sensational events. These giant cola companies have hired superstars like Shah Rukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai to promote their products. But a lot of Cola consumers are ignorant of the fact that the colourful fluid that comes in attractive bottles does not do us a bit of good.

In pizza parlours, bottomless drinks are offered. Consumption of six litres of cola brings a person instant death. Soft drinks are highly acidic in nature because their pH is 3.4. You can imagine what can happen when we drink something that is acidic in nature. The artificial colouring present in soft drinks is hazardous to our DNA. Moreover it is claimed that there is no fruit pulp in these drinks, which means that they are artificial. Soft drinks contain a substance called anti-freeze which is carcinogenic (cancer causing). So, cola can be as harmful as cigarettes.

The aeration is basically carbon dioxide, that we exhale. Drinking something that has a lot of carbon dioxide can have adverse effects. Even in non-aerated drinks, bacteria may develop due to improper storage.

Cola is very harmful to our teeth. It can dissolve the enamel, which is the hardest part of the human body, in 10 days. Can imagine what it does to the delicate tissues of our body?

So, children should not be allowed to have soft drinks, for their milk teeth may get affected. We should try and stop the consumption of soft drinks. That is the least we can do after knowing what soft drinks can do.

Instead, if we start consuming tender coconuts, we can be saved from mouth ulcers and our body will become cool and we can be sure that we are playing it safe and not with fire.

SWATHI BISWANATH, XII C

T.I. MATRICULATION H S SCHOOL, Ambattur, Chennai

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Features
Previous : Teaching tolerance
Next     : Reflections - drama and dialogue