Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
With a crackdown on caramel color because of its possible carcinogens, Coca-Cola scrambles
to avoid a California law that would require a warning label on every can. But even with
the changes, have we finally found enough reasons to cut soda out entirely? I’m Kimberly
Walleston, with a breaking story for Insider’s Health News.
You may have never heard of 4-MI or 4-MEI, but that doesn’t mean you haven’t digested
quite a bit of it. The compound, found in caramel color, has just been added to California’s
list of known carcinogens for 2012, creating a problem for the soda industry that relies
on it for their brown hue. Even worse news for big soda… the Center for Science in
the Public Interest started a petition to ban all ammonia-sulfite caramel color.
So what is all this backlash about? California has admittedly strict guidelines for their
cancer-causing requirements, and the American Beverage Association is quick to point out
the magnitude of soda you’d have to drink to be in any danger. Even the FDA isn’t
ready to consider 4-MI a health risk for the public, claiming that there isn’t enough
conclusive evidence to be worried about the long-term effects.
But therein lies the problem… in the long-term effects. If there’s any sign that caramel
color might be causing cancer in simple studies, what could it mean for someone who drinks
soda for fifty years? We’re supposedly consuming safe quantities of this compound, but extrapolate
that for a lifetime and you might end up with different results. You might even end up with
a shorter lifetime.
So with all of the problems coming out, why are people still willfully destroying their
bodies with carbonated sugar water. Accelerated aging, lower brain function, water pollution,
toxic cans, and now cancer. It’s enough to make you reach for the water and donate
the rest of your cola to scientific research.
At least it should be.
So maybe Coca-Cola and the rest of the soda industry will begin using lower levels of
4-MI caramel coloring. Maybe they’ll even figure out a way to cut it out altogether.
But maybe we should find a beverage that doesn’t double as a science project. Now coming up
on Hollywood Healthbeat, we’re checking in with Bowflex supermodel, T J Hoban, who
said the secret to his 10 pack abs is cooking spray? Kim Lockett has that story. Thanks
Kimberly. I’m Kim Lockett and this is Hollywood Healthbeat, your lifeline to the hottest health
happenings in Tinsel Town. Home fitness buffs and infomercial regulars are sure to recognize
the name “Bowflex” referring to, of course, the at-home strength training system claiming
to revolutionize your workout routine without a gym. As with most fitness solutions that
sound too good to be true, this one is turning out to be a dud. Well at least according to
Bowflex spokesmodel, T J Hoban. TMZ tracked down the chiseled man model on the street
to find out what training tips he could offer to celebrities like Brittany Spears and Jersey
Shore’s “The Situation.” T J, flashing his own situation, said that his secret is
spritzing his abs with Pam cooking spray? Is this the new Hollywood fitness trend? Now
before you go out and stock up on canned oil, T J was just joking. But he did offer up his
actual secret and it’s not the Bowflex. He said diet is actually responsible for his
killer core. That’s right. He claims just staying active and eating right can lead you
down the 6 pack path. In fact, he allegedly only does a set of 20 crunches before training
just to warm up his muscles. Now this only reiterates what we already know. That nutrition
is crucial when it comes to staying in shape and that fad mechanism, like the Bowflex,
probably aren’t worth the time and money. Oh, and that Pam has no business in your fitness
regimen. Glad we cleared that up. Well, that’s all the celeb news that I have for you today.
I’m Kim Lockett for Hollywood Healthbeat and I always have my finger to the pulse of
Hollywood. I don’t care what that man is using, he looks good! That’s it for this
edition of InsidersHealth News. I’m your host, Kimberly Walleston, and remember it’s
your health, we’re just helping you think outside the docs.