Your basket is currently empty!
First, let’s talk about the origins of Coca-Cola
A pharmacist battled his addiction to morphine by looking for an alternative remedy. This resulted in him creating Coca-Cola, named after its two primary ingredients: coca leaves and kola nuts. Of course, the version we have today do not have these ingredients!
What does Coca-Cola contain?
Nowadays, Coca-Cola is simply: carbonated water, sugar, colouring, Orthophosphoric acid, flavourings and caffeine. However, it’s exact ingredients are a mystery even to this day, and stored in a safe in the Coca-Cola world museum.
How did it become popular?
Along with being the beverage partner for the Summer games in Amsterdam since 1928, the American runner Hal Higdon was one of the first famous athletes to make the drink popular. He did so by promoting it’s benefits, with the main one being that wherever he ran around the world, he could rely on buying Coca-Cola always being the same. Compare this to if you drink the local water, or buy an alternative drink specific to the country, it’s composition can vary, causing an unpredictable outcome on race day.
The effects of Coca-Cola
Even though the drink is consistent, it has plenty of downsides, such as a 10% carbohydrate content, which affects the body’s rate of water absorption. Because of this, experienced runners drink Coca-Cola diluted with water. Secondly, Coca-Cola lacks electrolytes, which isotonic drinks are good at providing. Also, there’s caffeine in Coca-Cola, which although is a stimulant evidenced to provide a boost, it can deplete minerals in the body.
Still, sport representatives, like the cyclist Ted King, mentioned that around 90% of the Tour de France riders drink Coke during competitions. Because on a hot day, it gives an instant energy boost, with its high sugar and caffeine content, along with a psychological refreshing effect from the carbonated water. Be careful though, because ideally you shouldn’t drink Cola at the beginning of a race, as the body may not appreciate the orthophosphoric acid. And as a side note, Higdon would usually degass the drink to avoid it triggering an upset stomach.
Coke is recommended to be drunk in limited quantities, since it can damage teeth, and affect those with hypertension or diabetes. Also, don’t take it with salt tablets because this can worsen dehydration with the added sodium, or worse, cause diarrhea!
Why is Coca Cola still popular?
Well, not only is Coca-Cola a global marketing brand, the drink itself has a lot of calories that the body can quickly access, along with a refreshing taste. It also produces reliable results on race day, while the drink can be found almost anywhere in the world.
A healthier alternative
As you may have realised by now, Coca-Cola has its ups and downs. Performance wise, you may want to focus on using an isotonic drink for the electrolytes. Or better yet, go old school and create your own fruit drink or jellies at home using a recipe recommended by a nutritionist.