Caffeine in Colas promotes addiction

Caffeine in colas makes no difference to the taste buds but can be mildly addictive. This was reveled by a leading medical institute John Hopkins Medical Institutions in USA, that contested the clams of manufactures of soft drinks that they ass caffeine to cola just for taste.

The majority of those who drink cola can't tell whether a soda contains caffeine or not. A study on 25 adults showed that only 8 % of adult cola drinkers could detect caffeine at a concentration of 0.1 milligram per milliliter, the concentration in the leading popular brands. The rest could not taste the difference between caffeine free and caffeine containing colas until the levels of caffeine was raised to much higher levels beyond those approved by US FDA. However, the representative of the companies which market and distribute over 95 % of soft drinks sold in US, countered the claims of the Johns Hopkins findings. But these companies did not explained why they were adding caffiene in the soft drinks.

The John Hopkins study warns that adults and children can become psychologically and physiologically  dependent on caffeine and can experience withdrawal symptoms like headache and lethargy. Though adults can cope with these symptoms but in children these can pose bigger problems. 

The study also draws parallel between marketing of nicotine and caffeine. Both are psychoactive drugs. Until recently, cigarette companies denied that nicotine was addictive and said that nicotine was added merely as a flavor enhancer for cigarettes. The same is being said for caffeine. 

It is also sited that increased soda drinking in children displaces eating more nutritious food, possibly increased tooth decay, obesity and bone fracture.