Diet Dr Pepper Ingredients Explained
Dietetic Dr Pepper was introduced back in 1962 and renamed Diet Dr Pepper in 1966 due to poor sales from the misconception that it was a drink for diabetics.
In all food products, ingredients must be listed according to their relative weight. The listing of each ingredient is in a descending order of predominance.
Diet Dr Pepper ingredients: Carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, natural and artificial flavors, sodium benzoate (preservative), caffeine. Phenylketonurics: Contains phenylalanine.
1. Carbonated Water: Plain water into which carbon dioxide gas has been dissolved.
Health effects: Linked to tooth decay. May reduce fertility. Suspected teratogen (any agent that interferes with normal embryonic development).
2. Caramel Color: Brown food coloring and flavoring made by
heating a sugar, usually corn syrup. May be processed with ammonia and
sulfur to intensify color.
Health effects: May contain ammonium compounds. May affect
stomach (gastrointestinal problems), liver, and cause hyperactivity.
Caramel color produced with ammonia has been associated with blood
toxicity in animals. Associated with reduced white cells and lymphocyte
counts.
3. Aspartame: Artificial sweetener. Made from aspartic acid and phenylalanine.
Health effects: Studies link it to cancer in rats. May cause
neurological and behavioral issues. Reported symptoms include
irritability, headaches, insomnia, hyperactivity, seizures, memory loss,
migraines, depression, vision problems, memory loss. Should be avoided
by those with the genetic disorder phenylketonuria.
4. Phosphoric Acid: A colorless, odorless solution made from phosphate rock (not a food).
Health effects: May lead to calcium loss in bones and tooth
erosion. Eye, skin, throat, nose, and respiratory irritant. Can cause
osteoporosis. Linked to kidney damage and kidney stones.
*A corrosive, used to remove rust.
5. Natural flavors: Any flavor not chemically derived. Obtained
by physical processes from plants or animals. Made to provide flavor to a
food rather than nutritional value. May contain MSG.
Health effects: Unknown. Natural flavors may be acquired through
any number of processes. Naturally derived ingredients may be altered,
rendered unsafe.
6. Artificial flavors: A synthetic mixture not found in nature,
designed to mimic a natural flavor. May contain MSG. Over 1,700
artificial flavors are approved by the FDA.
Health effects: Unknown. Companies are not required to identify the
various synthetic mixtures (1,700 to date) used in foods, requiring only
that they be listed under the umbrella of the “artificial flavors”
listing. Some individuals are sensitive to artificial flavors,
experiencing headaches, nausea, and drowsiness, among other symptoms.
Artificial flavors sample list: benzyl isobutyrate, ethyl
acetate, ethyl methylphenylglycidate (petroleum derivative), methyl
benzoate (petroleum derivative), hydroxyphenyl-2-butanone. Any artificial
flavor may be made up of any number of synthetic chemicals.
7. Sodium benzoate: Used as a preservative. It is the sodium salt
of Benzoic acid. Benzoic acid is synthesized commercially from toluene.
Toluene is produced in the gasoline making process and the making of
coke (carbon fuel produced by distillation of coal) from coal.
Therefore, sodium benzoate is a petroleum or coal tar derivative.
Health effects: Asthma, hives, hay fever, mouth irritation, and
other allergic reactions. Neurotoxicity and brain damage; Linked to
hyperactivity and decreased intellect in children. May cause DNA damage,
leading to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, and
Parkinson’s. Benzene, a known cancer-causing agent, can form in soft
drinks when sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid (vitamin c, commonly added
to fortify soft drinks) are mixed.
8. Caffeine: A bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that is a psychoactive stimulant drug.
Health effects: Psychoactive, addictive. May cause
headaches/migraines, heart disease, depression. Causes birth defects in
rats. Can cross the placental barrier. Inhibits fetal growth. Women who
consume the amount of caffeine in one and a half to three cups of
coffee may nearly double their risk of miscarriage.