Question:
I have Diabetes II. I find myself sometimes drinking too much Diet Pepsi
or Diet Coke. What is the effect of these drinks on Diabetes? The doctors
seem to be a bit foggy about this subject. Also, is there anything that one
can do about cold feet? I know that we are not supposed to fold our legs,
we are supposed to wear socks of some type, etc. But I do get freezing
feet from time to time. I would appreciate any response.
Answer:
Cola drinks, including Diet Coke, are high in phosphorus because they
use phosphoric acid for flavoring. When I started losing kidney
function, I started looking for information about a kidney-friendly
diet. A diet high in phosphorus can be harmful when you have a kidney
problem. For a kidney-friendly diet, the recommendation for phosophorus
is 400-500 milligrams/day. (I don't have my book of food values here,
so I can't tell you how much phosphorus a can of Diet Coke contains.)
I haven't found any information saying that a high-phosphorus diet
*causes* kidney problems, but I think it's a good idea to cut back on
the Diet Coke once you do have kidney problems.
