What's in your Soda ?

What's in Your Soda? Breaking Down That Pop."

It breaks down several key ingredients found in both regular and diet sodas and highlights potential health concerns associated with each one.

Here is a detailed explanation of the graphic's components:

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Core Message

The graphic's central focus is a soda can, with callouts pointing to different ingredients and the corresponding health issues they may cause. The overall tone is cautionary, aiming to inform the viewer about the chemical makeup and potential risks of consuming soda.

Key Ingredients and Health Concerns

1. Sugar (Sucrose) & Corn Syrup

• Content: A 12 oz. serving of soda contains an average of 9 teaspoons of sugar.

• Health Concerns:

  • Linked to weight gain.

  • Associated with Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

  • Metabolic Syndrome is defined as a set of conditions including high blood pressure, belly fat, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance.

• Visual: An illustration of an overweight person.

2. Aspartame (Artificial Sweetener)

• Context: This is the key ingredient in diet soda.

• Health Concern: Aspartame has been found to increase hunger, suggesting that while the drink is calorie-free, the consumer may end up eating more later.

3. Caramel Color

• Content: A brown coloring added to colas and other dark sodas.

• Health Concern: This coloring contains 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole, which are chemicals that have been linked to lung, liver, and thyroid cancer in lab rats and mice.

• Visual: An illustration of a set of human teeth, potentially hinting at teeth staining or decay.

4. Phosphoric Acid & Caffeine

• Health Concern: Scientists speculate that the Phosphoric Acid and caffeine in soda contribute to osteoporosis (a condition where bones become weak and brittle).

• Visual: An illustration of a human ribcage and skeleton, highlighting the bones.

5. Sodium

• Content: A component in some sodas.

• Health Concern: Diet soda has been linked to an increased risk of stroke. Scientists hypothesize that the high sodium content could be the culprit.

• Visual: An illustration of a human brain, linking the concern to stroke.

6. Flavor Additives

• Health Concern: Along with the high sugar content, the acidity of the soda and flavor additives (especially in non-cola drinks like ginger ale and lemon-lime versions) contribute to the erosion of tooth enamel.

• Visual: This element points toward the bottom of the can, connecting to the overall chemistry of the drink.

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Summary

The graphic serves as a quick-reference guide, using clear text and anatomical illustrations to connect specific soda ingredients (sugar, corn syrup, aspartame, caramel color, phosphoric acid, caffeine, sodium, and flavor additives) to adverse health outcomes like metabolic syndrome, cancer risk, stroke, osteoporosis, and tooth erosion.