Question about drinking pop/soda and CF?

[rcq925]

Okay, I have a question for all of you. Do you drink pop/soda (Pepsi, COke, ect.) on a regular basis? Has your doctor ever told you not to drink it due to having CF?

I have a 2 year old daughter with CF and belong to another board of parents of infants and toddlers and there has been a big discussion about juice and carbonated beverages recently and I am just curious as to what all of you have to say about it.

It was said, "one of the main reasons for no carbonation is that it does not allow the body to process calcium correctly...which our kids have such an issue with already!" ALso discussion about juice being empty calories, ect. Now obviously I am not filling my 2 year old daughter up with pop and juice. SHe gets a cup of orange juice in the morning and a cup of apple juice in the afternoon with her snack, and an occasional sip of my pop at a restaurant, ect.

So anyway, I am really just curious if any of you avoid pop ro jucie for any reason or were told to do so by your doctor or nutrionist, due to having CF? Thanks in advance for all the replies!!

 

[wanderlost]

nope, I have alwasy ate and drank whatever I wanted. I don't have weight issues, but I am on enzymes for eveything i eat. You could add a calcium supplement if you are concerned, though I think with the amount of soda you're going to allow a toddler to drink, you probably woulnd't need it to combat the effects of the phosphorous.

 

[anonymous]

I did always drink lots of coke(now diet coke) since I was a kid and my bones have been ok so far. As a kid I did also drink much milk and I have always been "in motion" with my dog. Later at about 18 I started dancing a lot until about 33. Now I don´t move very much to be honest...but I do take 500 mg extra calcium each day since about 8 years.
Many cfers get osteoporosis as adults, but in some it starts quite early.So maybe its also some kind of "luck". Some people will have more difficulties with their bones than others.

Uli,43,Germany,cf/cfrd

 

[anonymous]

I'd heard once upon a time on this board about no pop - something with phosphorus and causing calcium depletion. We've always given DS white grape juice. Extra calories and vitamin C. He wasn't a big water drinker at first and if he wanted a snack or if I wanted to get some extra calories in him, I'd give him a sippy cup with juice. Liza

 

[LouLou]

I have drank coke and now drink caf. free coke 2x day. I have excellent bone density. I have heard about carbonation causing calcium depletion - not just a CF thing. Since a young age I've drunk a ton of milk. I now average a gallon every 6 days. During my teen - college years I was up to a gallon and a half a week. I had a nutritionist at Vanderbilt tell me, when I was asking her if I should give up coke, that I was getting so many calories from the sugar in coke that she could not recommend it unless I was willing to eat another meal!

 

[Emily65Roses]

I don't much like soda myself, so I don't drink it. But only really because I don't enjoy it. Only reasons I would consider avoiding it are that:
1. It technically dehydrates because of the carbination.
2. The carbination would cause extra pressure and burping... like we need that.

I drink juice ALL THE TIME though. *shrug*

 

[thelizardqueen]

I used to drink a lot of sugary sodas and juice growing up, and didn't have a problem with it. Since becoming diabetic though, the only time I drink Coke is when my sugar is low. Other then that I stick to Diet Coke. I also drink a small glass of orange juice once a day with my breakfast.

 

[dyza]

after drinking all that soda, i hope you brush your teeth well<br>
<br>
craig

 

[Rokiss12]

i just drink soda when i want,

but when im on IV's as a rule of thumb, for every soda i drink, i drink an extra glace of water for the day.... so thats on top of the regular like 8 glasses of water

<3Kate

 

[jenhum]

I usually drink at least two soft drinks everyday, and I've cut back since college! I've never heard of any bad effects for CFers (not to say there aren't any, I just haven't heard of any). I also drink 1-2 glasses of milk a day. I had a horseback riding fall last year and b/c my arm broke into so many pieces, they were worried about my bones, but I had a bone density scan done and it was completely normal.

 

[anonymous]

1 to 2 cans of soda a day, the good stuff, ie moutain dew. My dentist yells at my, my cf doc doesn't.

 

[Seana30]

dyza,

I just learned that you should wait 2-3 hrs before brushing your teeth after drinking soda.

Have you ever seen the "put the rusty nail in soda" trick?

They say that brushing right after drinking pulls the enamel off you teeth.

Seana

 

[Scarlett81]

Growing up I was usually given non-sugary juice or milk. I do remember the docs telling me mom that soda was not good. The whole phosp thing. And empty calories. I could get filled up better-with whole milk, milk shakes or grape juice even.
I drink soda as a treat maybe once a month. But I have no weight issues. I take enzymes, and I do have more malabsorption issues than I used to. So for that reason I try to stay away from artificial foods like that.

 

[IG]

<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/acid.asp
">http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/acid.asp
</a>
I´ve posted in regards to coke once before, and that turned into a huge argument about it. Not starting that again so believe what you want to believe, the link is to snopes.com which does do it´s own research into it. I personally think it´? interesting, but that;s just me. Sorry for any spelling errors, currently typing from a German keyboard.

 

[anonymous]

I am personally a HUGE fan of coke and all that. But it does affect the absorbption of calcium i *think*. Anyway because I developed osteopenia I've had to take a break from it all, plus I have diabetic tendancies which is a sign that in about two years I will have CFRD, so I dont want to agrevate that. But I still do drink them now and again. A word about coke though, my uncle used to use to take rust off his car and to clean his engine....so you'd wonder what on earth is in it!

Shamrock, x

 

[Allie]

Ry lived on mountain dew, and it wasn't a probablem. He liked carbonated stuff, so it was either that or carbonated water, and at least pop had calories.

 

[blindhearted]

I drink coke & pepsi...a lot more than I should, but the biggest thing I drink is sweet (w/ sugar) tea. I am trying to get into more juices (thanks to my husband) but so far, its not going too well. My CF doctors never said anything to me. I have osteoporosis, my cf doctor nor my rheumotlogist has said anything about carbonated stuff, just about steriods (predisone) treatment as a child.

 

[EnergyGal]

When I was little I drank a lot of coke. When I became older, I stopped because I realized it was not good for general health. I remember somone in grade school saying to me, "you can clean rust stains with coke" I did not know if this was true but got grossed out and never drank it again. I started drinking lots of fresh juices and eating more fruits. I became very concerned about my nutrition at the age of twelve.

Sugar is not good so I would avoid it if I had a child with CF. I would be like you and give the juices instead.

I remember in college I love Sprit and sparkling water. Stopped the sprit after awhile and started with the sparkling water. Today when I go out to eat, I order bottled water.

 

[Faust]

I don't understand why people would say a good quality (no fillers, 100% juice, etc) fruit juice, especially depending on the juice, is "empty calories". Theres tons of good things in juice, not just vitamins.


As far as nutrasweet goes, just google up "nutrasweet health dangers" and have fun reading all the information out there. The stuff is horrible for you on many levels. If you want a soda so bad, just drink in moderation and don't drink artificially flavored sodas. Currently, the only artificial sweetener that isn't that bad is Xyletol. I could tell you some stories about nutrasweet that would curl your toes. And no, thos stories don't just involve massive consumption, but also light consumption.

 

[S]

my chiropractor mentioned how bad the carbonation is for the body as well and also said she'd rather i drink regular soda with real sugar and not anything with the artificial stuff. she actually told me to never drink soda again, but it just tatses too good...i have cut back, though.

some info i found recently...I have a hard time believing a lot of things I read on the internet, but even if there is just a little truth to all of this I think it is enough to think about and research more:

"Why Soda Pop Drains You Dry





Soda pop is not good for you. Of course, you have probably suspected this, but perhaps you don't know the extent to which drinking carbonated, caffeinated, sugared, or artificially sweetened beverages destroys your body.

If you look at the list of ingredients in most soda pops, you will likely see most or all of these listed:

caffeine
carbonated water
phosphoric acid
sugar
aspartame
acesulfame-k
sucralose

<b>Let's start with carbonated water. As you know, our bodies require oxygen to remain healthy. For every can of carbonated soda ingested, the amount of oxygen in the blood is decreased by 25% for up to three hours. If you are drinking several sodas per day, you are depriving yourself for a significant amount of oxygen.</b>

Calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus must be maintained in the proper balance for bone health. When too much phosphorus is in the blood, calcium is leached from the bones, causing osteoporosis. Even in citrus sodas which contain citric acid instead of phosphoric acid, calcium is needed to normalize blood pH. It has been said that the fastest growing group of people with osteoporosis in this country is teenagers....because of the huge number of sodas they consume.

As far as caffeine and sugar are concerned, they both cause dehydration, and the massive depletion of minerals. A study was done in which two groups of children aged 13-18 years of age were given one of two drinks, a caffeinated sugar-free drink, or a drink containing both caffeine and sugar. When caffeine was added, calcium excretion in the urine increased by 25%. When sugar was added, urinary calcium loss almost doubled (1). Both caffeine and sugar also cause dehydration.

<b>Sugar in particular is destructive because its ingestion lowers immune function by reducing the ability of white blood cells to ingest and destroy bacteria. This lowered immune function can last for five hours or more after the ingestions of sugar (2).</b>

Sucralose, also marketed as Splenda, breaks down into small amounts of 1,6 -dichlorofructose, a chemical similar to chlorinated pesticides. There has not been adequate testing of this product before it was released for public use, and many of the post-approval studies are alarming. To ready about it, go to Sucralose Toxicity Information Center .

Aspartame, or Nutra Sweet, has an alarming health record. Read my article about Aspartame . Even though this article is about how aspartame poisons the pregnant woman and her unborn child, you can see how it would do similar things in the bodies of others. Also, see the Aspartame (Nutra Sweet) Toxicity Info Center .

Acesulfame-k is a dangerous chemical. Read Sample Quotes from Cancer Experts' Letters on Acesulfame Testing .

I hope you will consider giving up the drinking of soda pop. It would contribute significantly to your level of wellness, and probably help reverse many existing health problems."