Valley doctor: Viral Coca-Cola graphic is malarkey

You’ve probably seen it on your Internet travels of late: an infographic about how the body processes Coca-Cola.

It’s been blogged, posted and shared on hundreds of websites and was trending on social media. It had everyone thinking one of the world’s most popular sodas is nothing more than a precise mixture of chemicals designed to keep a revolting and addictive substance in the body.

But of course, this is information from the Internet.

You’re probably familiar with the old adage, “Don’t believe everything you read.” Scottsdale-based Dr. Terry Simpson said the infographic is just another case of wrong information going viral online.

In a blog post, Simpson denounced nearly every point on the image. He said phosphorous is not added to keep people from vomiting up the soda, insulin doesn’t spike 20 minutes after drinking and the addition of caffeine into the body doesn’t trigger the release of dopamine (aka Coca-Cola is not like heroin).

Also, the soda doesn’t dehydrate you or cause a sugar rush followed by a crash.

So what does happen when we tip back a cold Coke? Simpson said the body will have a little more stored glucose, be a little more alert and a bit more hydrated.

However, Simpson said he doesn’t recommend drinking sodas as one can typically exceeds the daily recommended consumption of sugar.