Coke

[XoChelsey03Xo]

When I was at the GYN, she told me that they are starting to see a lot of really young girls with IC. She said it's because we've all grown up on coke. She said that IC use to be a disease that older people got. Anyways, I just thought I'd share with everyone. Chelsey

[vm]

Hmmmm, never heard that one before and I don't think it's accurate. While coca cola may aggravate underlying IC - it doesn't cause it.

:)

[ICNDonna]

Drinking excessive amounts of coke can definitely be a problem. It contains a huge amount of caffeine.

Donna

[ICLori]

This is an interesting comparison guide for the amount of caffeine in various beverages and pills. I know that Coke has phosphoric acid as one of the ingredients - I used to drink several cans of Coke a day in my 20's and 30's and I wouldn't doubt that it irritated my bladder, maybe had something to do with making me more susceptible to bladder disease, I don't know...it's awfully acidic. I know dentists told me it was awful for my teeth...

Pretty much every pill/drink on this list is a no-no for IC of course. Except...I have no idea why, but I decided to try my hubby's idea of drinking black tea for the past couple of days. He thought the tannins would help my bladder, as they are anti-inflammatories. I was sure I would flare, but I agreed to try. You know, just to make him stop suggesting it.

Well, my bladder has been amazingly calm for the last two days. And if I get up in the morning and it's starting to grumble a bit, within an hour of drinking tea it's okay. Not something I'd advise other IC'ers to try, because tea has been shown to irritate 99% or more of IC bladders, but I am going to keep drinking tea for the time being and see if my bladder keeps being calm. As weird as my body/bladder is, it wouldn't surprise me any that what irritates others, calms my bladder - what calms most IC bladders irritates mine (Elavil) so I just have a strange bladder I think.

Other data on caffeine:
Cup of coffee 90-150mg
Instant coffee 60-80mg
Tea 30-70mg
Mate 25-150mg
Cola 30-45mg
Chocolate bar 30mg
Stay-awake pill 100mg
Vivarin 200mg
Cold relief tablet 30mg

[XoChelsey03Xo]

Well I'm not sure really what causes IC. However, more and more younger people are getting IC. My gyn thinks it's from all the coke that young people are drinking today. Chelsey

[Sharon]

I drank coke for many years, as did my brother, and we both have problems with our bladders. No one else in the family drank coke all the time like we did, and no one else in the family has problems with their bladders, like we do. Coincidence? Most people would say yes, but, I have always wondered if the high acid level of coke was a contributing factor to my IC. I make my kids take a break from consuming drinks with a high acid levels because of this concern.

[kadi]

I spilled a bottle of coke once on the linoleum floor & it "ate" through several layers of wax. Scary.

[XoChelsey03Xo]

I spilled a bottle of coke once on the linoleum floor & it "ate" through several layers of wax. Scary.


Wow, just imagine what it does to our bladders. Coke should be banned. Chelsey :dogrun:

[creatingkarma]

I have never been a soda drinker in my life, so that's definitely not how I got IC.

Did you all know that if the battery or battery cables on your car are all crusted over so bad that you're not getting a connection that you can pour a can of Coke on it & it will eat away all that crud? Really makes me wonder what it's doing to people's insides.

[Iris]

Whoa I did not know that about coke eating away the battery acid, hate to think what that would do, to a bladder lining. Thank goodness I do not drink it. Thanks for posting Iris. :yikes:

[sunshine_77us]

I drank cases of coke when I was in my 20's and had lots of kidney and bladder infectons. After several years of this I finally got away from them and I can't stand the taste of coke now.

[Cricketmk3]

Cola is bad! What is even worse is diet cola. That aspartame is what I'm leery of!!

[darlene]

I have had inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease) for nearly 2 decades. I never drank much soda, but stopped after getting Crohn's . My IC has gotten much worse without the help of Coke or any soda.

[dancemomof2]

I am sure it is a irratant but not the cause of IC. I do drink alot of vanilla coke, and it will cause some discomfort. I have poored it on my windshield before to clear off a nasty film that windshield fluid will not touch.

[tigger_gal]

Well I really find it hard to believe that Coke can possibly cause IC.. I am more then sure that it will put any IC'er in a flare.. If it can eat thru wax on a floor and eat the croaded crap around the battery cables on you car..... I am sure the acid level in Coke, is not IC friendly.
BRat

[vm]

Here is what "Snopes" the urban legends reference page says about Coke and many of the e-mail claims that get forwarded around about it:


Origins: Many
of the entries above are just simple household tips involving Coca-Cola, as provided by Joey Green in his 1995 book Polish Your Furniture with Panty Hose and on his web site. That you can cook and clean with Coke is relatively meaningless from a safety standpoint — you can use a wide array of common household substances (including water) for the same purposes; that fact alone doesn't necessarily make them dangerous to ingest. Nearly all carbonated soft drinks contain carbonic acid, which is moderately useful for tasks such as removing stains and dissolving rust deposits (although plain soda water is much better for some of these purposes than Coca-Cola or other soft drinks, as it doesn't leave a sticky sugar residue behind). Carbonic acid is relatively weak, however, and people have been drinking carbonated water for many years with no detrimental effects.

The rest of the claims offered here are specious. Coca-Cola does contain small amounts of citric acid and phosphoric acid; however, all the insinuations about the dangers these acids might pose to people who drink Coca-Cola ignore a simple concept familiar to any first-year chemistry student: concentration. Coca-Cola contains less citric acid than orange juice does, and the concentration of phosphoric acid in Coke is far too small (a mere 11 to 13 grams per gallon of syrup, or about 0.20 to 0.30 per cent of the total formula) to dissolve a steak, a tooth, or a nail overnight. (Much of the item will dissolve eventually, but after a day or two you'll still have most of the tooth, a whole nail, and one very soggy t-bone.)

Besides, the gastric acid in your stomach is much stronger than any of the acids in Coca-Cola, so the Coca-Cola is harmless.

The next time you're stopped by a highway patrolman, try asking him if he's ever scrubbed blood stains off a highway with Coca-Cola (or anything else). If you're lucky, by the time he stops laughing he'll have forgotten about the citation he was going to give you.

Last updated: 29 March 2004

http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/acid.asp

[vm]

That doesn't say anything about it being harmless to a person with IC. When I was super diet sensitive there is no WAY I could have drank it.

[sunshine_77us]

Kim,
Are you not diet sensitive now? I sure wish I wasn't. Seems like I'm always eating something to cause a flare. I don't drank anything but water and sometimes Postum when I want something hot. I would like to have some good hot chocolate!

[Shalai]

Never would touch Coca Cola, but was a HUGE Pepsi drinker before IC (up to a 2 liter bottle a day). Now, I can have a small glass of Coca Cola once in awhile without any trouble, but Pepsi will flare me up. So, I can say it wasn't Coke that caused me to have IC. I do believe that all the acid and carbonated water in any soft drink can't be good for any bladder, especially one with IC.

Sherry

[christinaw]

I was never allowed to have soft drinks as a kid-my mother always told us it was a "grown up" drink--we had Tang, koolaid, milk, water, juice---almost 30 yrs old now and find myself following same philosophy w/ my son---once in a while he has rootbeer but never coke or pepsi-
so i'd have to say couldn't have caused my IC either. but I'm sure any caffeine definitely irritates my condition--noticeable with even one serving of caffeine of any type