Coca-Cola to phase out sodium benzoate

One of the world’s most popular soft drinks, Coca-Cola, is to get rid of sodium benzoate, an additive found in their products.

The controversial chemical is thought to contribute towards hyperactivity and damage of DNA.

The company plan to withdraw it from their Diet Coke drinks in August 2008, with other products soon to follow.

Sodium benzoate is also known as E211, and professors at Sheffield Univerisity have found that the additive could meddle with DNA that is linked to cirrhosis of the liver and Parkinson’s disease. Scary stuff.

However, this research was dismissed by the Committee of Mutagenicity.

But further study from Southampton University appears to back up the claims - E211 is one of seven E numbers found to worse hyperactivity.

It has long been thought that sugarfree versions of full-sugar drinks could be worse for your diet and your health, and do not always aid weightloss; there is some support for the idea that sugary drinks stimulate a sluggish metabolism.

Source: Drinks Business Review