Posted May 20, 2011
Let’s raise a glass in honor of Coca-Cola’s 125th anniversary. Uh, wait, on second thought, nutrition experts have been trying to wean us from the sugary concoction for years now.
Take our quiz, based on a pointed anti-Coke screed from Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, published last week on the blog “MomsRising.”
1. Jacobson calls Coke “Liquid Candy” because its main ingredient is what?
a) high-fructose corn syrup
b) sucrose No. 5
c) cocaine
2. Coke’s next most prominent ingredient is caramel coloring, which Jacobson says is produced with ammonia and sulfites, including 4-methylimidazole and 2-methylimidazole, which can cause what?
a) type 2 diabetes
b) cancer
c) gout
3. The next ingredient listed is phosphoric acid, which Jacobson says can do what?
a) cause tongue lesions
b) corrode the bladder
c) erode tooth enamel
4. A 12-ounce can of Coke contains 140 calories. According to the CSPI, the average 13- to 18-year-old boy drinks how many cans per day?
a) 2
b) 6
c) 11.7
5. Which of the three contains the highest level of caffeine per 12-ounce serving?
a) Coca-Cola Classic
b) Mountain Dew
c) Pepsi
ANSWERS: 1: a; 2: b; 3: c; 4: a; 5: b (Coke: 35 mg; Pepsi: 38 mg; Dew: 54 mg).
Sources: www.cspinet.org
www.momsrising.org.
Call The Bee’s Sam McManis, (916) 321-1145.
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Copyright © 2011, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.
