In case of fever and cold, it’s best to avoid sugary drinks, alcohol, and other products that further dehydrate the body. 

By Naveed Ahmad Najar

YouTube content creators who put out home remedies for health problems have a huge online following. Often, these remedies seem harmless – even if they may be infective. However, sometimes, the so-called remedies can be more harmful than the health condition they are supposed to cure. 

A video on YouTube, for example, claims that a brew of heated Coca-Cola, honey, and ginger can help reduce body temperature as well as treat common cold. The video, titled ‘Simple Recipes to Treat Everything!’ has over 1.2 million views. 

Here’s the fact. According to the manufacturers of Coca-Cola, the non-alcoholic beverage has the following ingredients: carbonated water (approximately 90% of Coca-Cola is water), sugar (The Zero Sugar and Diet Coke variants are sugar free), phosphoric acid, caffeine, caramel colour, and “natural flavours”. 

If you boil the beverage, after a point, the water will evaporate and leave behind the sugary elements. Research has well-established that sugar intake is linked to obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type-2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and increased risk of heart disease. 

According to the American Heart Association, men should not consume more than 150 calories or 37.5 grams of sugar per day, while for women, the daily upper limit is 100 calories or 25 grams of sugar. In other words, if you consume a can of Coca-Cola, you are done with your sugar intake, or perhaps even exceeded the limit, for the day! 

While the health risks apply to all, excessive sugar intake is particularly problematic for expecting mothers and those with pre-existing medical conditions. In case of fever and cold, it’s best to avoid sugary drinks, alcohol, and other products that further dehydrate the body. It’s important to stay hydrated and give the body adequate rest. If the condition persists or gets worse, please consult a doctor.