【Creative Cultivation Program】Can drinking cola cause muscle weakness?

Author: The Nutcracker Studio

Reviewer: Wang Hongwei, postgraduate tutor at Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences

We often see news reports saying that some patients developed symptoms of "muscular dystrophy" after drinking large amounts of cola for a long time. "Drinking cola can cause muscular dystrophy" has become a "rumor". After reading this, many people regard cola as a "disaster" and think that cola is the "source of all evil" and that most health problems can be solved by not drinking cola.

But in fact, Coke is also innocent.

1. Why does muscle weakness occur?

If you want to study whether there is a relationship between cola and muscular dystrophy, you must first understand what "muscular dystrophy" is. Muscular dystrophy literally means muscle weakness, such as feeling tired, feeling light-headed when walking, and having trouble climbing stairs, etc., are all symptoms of muscular dystrophy.

Clinically, there are many possible causes of myasthenia. Some researchers believe that drinking cola can cause potassium deficiency in the human body, which is the key to maintaining the normal functioning of nerves and muscles. When the human body is deficient in potassium, it can lead to symptoms such as arrhythmia and general weakness.

The specific principle is that after drinking a lot of cola, blood sugar will rise sharply. In order to lower blood sugar, insulin secretion will also increase, and potassium ions in the blood will enter the cells. In this way, the potassium ion concentration in the blood will decrease, causing hypokalemia, which in turn affects nerve and muscle function.

Some people also believe that drinking too much cola will lead to insufficient intake of regular meals, so that the body cannot get enough potassium and may also lead to hypokalemia. In addition, the large amount of sugar in cola may also cause osmotic diuresis, and a large amount of potassium will be excreted with urine.

Other studies have pointed out that the caffeine in cola is the "culprit" of hypokalemia. It causes potassium ions in the blood to transfer to cells, increases potassium excretion by the kidneys, and may also cause respiratory alkalosis, leading to hypokalemia.

It seems that myasthenia gravis is closely related to drinking cola. Is this really the case?

2. Is Coke wronged?

There is a saying that goes, "It is foolish to talk about toxicity without considering the dosage." This saying also applies to the "Coke incident." If we take a closer look at the cases reported as "Coke causing myasthenia," we will find that the patients' "overdoses" are very exaggerated: one patient drank 4 to 10 liters of Coke a day until her lungs became paralyzed; one patient was a pregnant woman who drank up to 3 liters of Coke a day for 6 years; and another 12-year-old patient drank 2 liters of Coke a day for two years.

These three are extremely exaggerated cases. They drink Coke as if it were water. Not to mention the problem of muscular dystrophy, such a long period of uninterrupted intake of high-sugar carbonated drinks will not only cause muscular dystrophy, but also excessive phosphorus may affect calcium absorption, and fermentable sugar will spread. Excessive sugar will induce dental plaque, causing caries and periodontitis and tooth erosion. Large amounts of sugar will also increase energy intake and cause obesity, etc.

In general, it is not the cola that is "wrong", but the "excessive intake". For an adult with a normal diet, it is okay to drink one or two bottles of cola occasionally to satisfy his craving. But if you drink it every day, every meal, and drink cola as water, there will definitely be problems. The above patients reduced their cola intake under the doctor's advice and supplemented with medicines, and their symptoms gradually disappeared. It can be seen that drinking cola in moderation will not have such serious consequences.

There was a news story before, saying that a boy drank a lot of cola after playing basketball. After lying down for an hour, he was unable to move and his classmates sent him to the hospital. Some people may say that this is the fault of cola again. But in fact, cola may just be the fuse. After the boy sweated a lot during the intense exercise and lost a lot of potassium, he did not choose to replenish electrolyte solution, but drank a lot of cola, which aggravated the loss of blood potassium and caused muscle weakness.

At this time, even if you don't drink Coke, drinking a lot of water will not replenish potassium. The correct way is to replenish light salt water or choose other electrolyte drinks.

3. Drink Coke in moderation

Speaking of "fat house happy water", it is really not easy to quit. According to statistics, in 2007, the global consumption of soft drinks reached 552 billion liters, equivalent to 83 liters of drinks per person per year. Now, the annual consumption per person has exceeded 100 liters, and the resulting childhood obesity problem has plagued many countries.

Some people think that drinking sugar-free cola is healthier, but sugar-free cola also contains caffeine and fructose, and drinking a lot of it may also cause hypokalemia. The only solution is to control the amount of cola you drink.

Although Coke is not a "monster", everything should be done in moderation. After all, if you like something, you will indulge yourself, but if you love someone, you must exercise restraint.

References

[1] Lee HJ, Kim DW, Cho HS, et al. Hypokalaemic paralysis induced by large amounts of cola consumption[J]. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, 2007, 22(9):2729.

[2] Tsimihodimos V, Kakaidi V, Elisaf M. Cola-induced hypokalaemia: pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical implications[J]. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 2009, 63(6):900-902.

[3] Md IYL, Md SP, Md MJ R. A rare case of caffeine storm due to excessive coca-cola consumption[J]. Case Communications, 2016,18:366-367.

[4] Su Xing, Liu Xiaohua, Wang Yafang, et al. Three cases of cola-induced hypokalemia and literature review[J]. Chinese Journal of Internal Medicine, 2015, 54(10): 882-884.

This article is produced by the Science Popularization China-Creation Cultivation Program. Please indicate the source when reprinting