Back in 1993, I told Second Opinion subscribers that the phosphoric acid in soft drinks can cause osteoporosis. Then last year, I told readers that the acidic nature of soft drinks make them better for cleaning car radiators and toilets than for drinking. Well, now there are two more reasons to avoid these drinks.

The first one really isn't a surprise, but too many people ignore it. A recent study showed that simply cutting back of sugar laden soft drinks caused children to lose body fat and weight. Those who cut the most, up to 82% of sweet drinks, lost the most weight, up to a pound a month.

The second reason you should avoid soft drinks is because they contain an industrial chemical that science links to cancer. Sixteen years ago, scientists discovered small amounts of benzene in some sodas. But they never told you about it. Why? The beverage industry promised the FDA it would take care of the problem. But 16 years later, benzene is still prevalent in soft drinks.

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The FDA recently tested some 60 varieties of sodas, sports drinks, juice drinks, and bottled water. Benzene levels ranged anywhere from 2-3 parts per billion to 10-20 parts per billion. The EPA limit for benzene in drinking water is only 5 PPB. Sodas may contain up to 4 times that amount.

This is why you shouldn't trust anything in a can, especially sodas. Not only are these drinks toxic to your body for the sugars, phosphates, colorings, preservatives, etc, that are added, but industrial benzene is also found in them.

I strongly suggest that you drink your own water (not bottled) that you purify with a reverse osmosis filter, and green tea (made with your own filtered water).

If you want to drink fruit juice, make sure you make it at home with fresh organic fruit and vegetables. The juice you buy at the store is devoid of nutrition thanks to the heating it undergoes when the can or bottle is sealed. And it also contains all the sugars that make you fat.

Better yet, eat the whole fruit. The fiber will slow the sugar absorption and blunt your insulin response. That will go a long way to prevent weight gain and unwanted aging from insulin. And you know there's no benzene added.

Ref: Pediatrics, March 2006; American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, March 2006.