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Two conspiracy theories about cola

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Re: Two conspiracy theories about cola

#111

Post by ncmncm »

antonzabirko wrote: post #107
ncmncm wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Allergy is defined as an anomalous auto-immune reaction to an introduced substance. Indigestion from a common foodstuff is a good candidate. You would of course need a medical examination to reliably determine that your particular intolerance is allergy. But that's the way to bet.

Definitely not the way to bet since most reactions to food are not allergic in nature. Gut reactions should constitute the majority.

You miss "anomalous". I.e., it does not happen to almost all other people who eat identically the same stuff. Indigestion and diarrhea are common responses to dietary allergens. Thus, onions make my sinuses bleed and cause indigestion.

Re: Two conspiracy theories about cola

#112

Post by Supermancho »

nemo44x wrote: post #57

Is it just me or does soda taste better out of a can than out of a plastic bottle? I’ve felt this for many years and have even tested by pouring into glasses. I like the can one better. Is this just me?

I used to drink cubes of Pepsi per week...like over 20 years ago. My explanation is that it contains aluminum ions (or some other chemical hint) from the tearing of the tab. This is why it tastes better on the earlier sips. If you leave soda out and it gets flat, the small difference is still there for at least half the can. Ultimately, since aluminum is a neurotoxin, it's probably very bad for you over time.

Fountain soda is noticeably different.

Re: Two conspiracy theories about cola

#114

Post by muthdra »

LinAGKar wrote: post #109

>Mexican Coke contains sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup You mean US coke contains HFCS rather than sugar? Because it uses regular sugar in most of the world. The USA is the outlier here, not Mexico.

I thought they were going to mention the "new coke" conspiracy theory which states that coke ditched the old flavor for a new one in 1985 and then changed it back later but this time with corn syrup instead of sugar in just enough time for people to forget what exactly it tasted like before and not complain about the change.

Re: Two conspiracy theories about cola

#115

Post by phonypc »

ncmncm wrote: post #87
phonypc wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>fructose absorption is delayed long enough that gut bacteria get most of it Have a reference for this? Seems implausible, bacterial fermentation of any sugar in the intestines should result in distress, i.e. the same symptoms a lactose intolerant person would have upon drinking milk.

Fermentation is not the principal pathway by which bacteria process sugar. In particular, sugar is a key raw material for growth, when available. LMGTFY: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bacteria+sugar+pathway

Uhh... sure. If you don't want to call it fermentation that's ok. Though I don't imagine human gut bacteria are respirating, or some other more exotic form of metabolism.

Point is, the products of bacterial metabolism of sugar in the human gut tend to cause issues, as in lactose intolerance, or the more rare sucrose intolerance. Hence my request for a citation on fibre delaying absorption of fructose so that "bacteria get most of it".

Re: Two conspiracy theories about cola

#116

Post by AnIdiotOnTheNet »

ashtonkem wrote: post #72
csydas wrote: post #4

Kind of tangential to the article but regarding phosphoric acid and its use as anti-nausea, is this why bubbly white sodas are a household cure for upset stomachs? This was a go-to for my family in the US as a kid when I had a stomach flu (saltines and 7-up), and i guess it was pretty common

A long time ago all colas were sold as medicine. I suspect that giving kids with a upset stomach cola is a faint cultural echo of those times, with each parent teaching their kids that soda is a cure for upset stomachs even though they took out the cocaine that might do something a century ago. Interestingly in my house the drink used for this was ginger ale. That being said, the placebo effect is strong. When I was…

Ginger actually does have noted positive effects on nausea and stomach upset, so ginger ale could presumably help.

Re: Two conspiracy theories about cola

#117

Post by Auracle »

AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #116
ashtonkem wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A long time ago all colas were sold as medicine. I suspect that giving kids with a upset stomach cola is a faint cultural echo of those times, with each parent teaching their kids that soda is a cure for upset stomachs even though they took out the cocaine that might do something a century ago. Interestingly in my house the drink used for this was ginger ale. That being said, the placebo effect is strong. When I was…

Ginger actually does have noted positive effects on nausea and stomach upset, so ginger ale could presumably help.

The common ginger ale brands contain no ginger.

Re: Two conspiracy theories about cola

#118

Post by phonypc »

adamiscool8 wrote: post #88
zionic wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And recent studies show HFCS alters the folds in your gut, lengthening them. This increased surface area significantly increases the amount of calories your intestines can extract from the same volume of food.

In case anyone else is curious about this: >The research, published August 18 in Nature, focused on the effect of a high-fructose diet on villi, the thin, hairlike structures that line the inside of the small intestine. Villi expand the surface area of the gut and help the body to absorb nutrients, including dietary fats, from food as it passes through the digestive tract. The study found that mice that were fed diet…

Worth noting that the "in mice" qualifier might be particularly apropos here.

>According to Taylor, the observations in mice make sense from an evolutionary perspective. "In mammals, especially hibernating mammals in temperate climates, you have fructose being very available in the fall months when the fruit is ripe," he said. "Eating a lot of fructose may help these animals to absorb and convert more nutrients to fat, which they need to get through the winter."

Humans generally don't hibernate.

Re: Two conspiracy theories about cola

#119

Post by giantg2 »

exporectomy wrote: post #74
giantg2 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? One could say that about any duration, right?

Yes, whatever the duration, you'll eventually stop vomiting some time after taking the medicine. Sometimes by chance it will seem like a remarkably short time from medicine to cure compared to the duration of the sickness. This is how a lot of ineffective traditional medicines "work". For a cold or nausea, nearly everyone will experience their problem fixing itself after taking the medicine and combined with cultural…

"Yes, whatever the duration, you'll eventually stop vomiting some time after taking the medicine."

That's a gross oversimplification. You could continue to vomit. You could also die. There are multiple types/causes for vomiting. Not all vomiting simply stops on it's own.

"It's good old mind-tricks of correlation vs causation."

I'd say this is more than just mind tricks. The study shows there's a strong correlation and evident effects, which suggests studies should be done on the cause.

"There's a reason real medicine requires preregistered double blind trials."

Or in this case a grandfathered status (it is a "real" medicine as it is approved for sale). I also think this is, again, only a half truth. Double blind studies tend to provide the strongest evidence, but they are not the only kind of study accepted for drug approval.

Re: Two conspiracy theories about cola

#120

Post by smegger001 »

Auracle wrote: post #117
AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ginger actually does have noted positive effects on nausea and stomach upset, so ginger ale could presumably help.

The common ginger ale brands contain no ginger.

thats why i brew my own lacto fermented ginger beer/ale from scratch. the flavor is way better than anything in the store. I particularly like brewing ginger ale/ginger beers with molasses. it taste like gingersnaps.
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