When we saw this graphic posted in a blog by Niraj Naik, known as the “Renegade Pharmacist,”  we had to share it with our Healthy Hairdresser Coke drinkers. Naik created this to illustrate the damage a single 12-ounce serving of Coke does to your body in the first hour after you drink it. The ingredients in Coke, particularly high fructose corn syrup, are not your body’s friend. Many other foods, even low-fat foods, also contain the “evil” fructose.

“Glucose is the type of sugar our body loves,” the Renegade Pharmacist explains on his website. “It gets metabolized by every cell in our body and is very easy to burn with very few toxic by-products. It also tells the brain to stop eating when you are full. Fructose on the other hand is another type of sugar and is found in sucrose which breaks down to glucose and fructose. Fructose is actually only metabolized by the liver and it’s very similar to ethanol (the alcohol in drinks). When you consume it, it’s actually like ethanol but without the high. It confuses the liver and ends up making lots of bad fats in the process. It also doesn’t signal your brain that you are full. This is why people can drink massive cups of fizzy drinks which are high in fructose and still eat huge meals containing refined foods that are also full of fructose.”

While fruits also may contain fructose, the fiber in fruit prevents your body from absorbing too much of the fructose. Therefore, Naik recommends replacing soda pop with fresh lemon or lime juice. And there’s always water!

Here’s the breakdown of your body’s cola experience:

First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. That’s 100% of your recommended daily intake. “You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness,” Naik notes, “because phosphoric acid and other flavorings cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.”

20 minutes: A spike in blood sugar causes an insulin burst that triggers your liver to turn all available sugar into fat. 

40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete, causing your pupils to dilate, your blood pressure to rise and your liver to add sugar to your bloodstream. This blocks the adenosine receptors in your brain from preventing drowsiness.

45 minutes: Increased dopamine production stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain. “This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way,” Naik adds.

60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism that’s compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.