Disease Proof

According to new research, too many soft drinks might actually cause cell damage in children. Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology at a British university, says that sodium benzoate, a common preservative used in carbonated drinks, causes damage to the DNA in the cells known as the mitochondria.


He explains, "The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it - as happens in a number of diseased states - then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA - Parkinson's and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of aging."