Colas are carbonated, sweetened, flavoured soft drinks. They contain high caffeine levels with high fructose corn syrup. John Pemberton first invented the Coca-Cola company. Today, the two most popular cola companies are Coca-Cola and Pepsi, with over 2,800 cola products available in over 200 countries. Various confusions exist regarding the health effects of colas. There are certain ramifications associated with having colas as a daily beverage. In different places, people even though it as a remedy or medication for digestion. Thus, this blog will deal with the basic effects of colas on health. 

Ingredients of colas 

Colas are generally composed of:- 

Carbonated Water:

This will provide the fizz and effervescence for the colas. Colourings

Sweeteners:

One of the major sweetener components in colas is HFCS or cane sugar in some parts of the world. These are very heavy in calories. 

Flavorings:

normally a combination of natural and artificial flavours, but it is a secret combination of what makes each brand special and/or identical in taste. Common flavours include vanilla, cinnamon, and oils from citrus fruits. 

Caffeine:

This is one means by which colas acts as a stimulant. The amount of caffeine in the colas may vary, but normally it would be 30 to 50 milligrams per 12 ounces. 

Colorings:

Added caramel colourings to give the colas this typical dark brown colour. 

Acidulants:

Phosphoric acid or Citric acid is added to provide tartness to the drink and balance the sweetness. 

 Health implications of colas

Colas can have significant health implications such as:- 

Wight gain:-

Colas contains high fructose level and sugars that can increase the average weight of any person.  Such liquid consumption of calories do make less satiety comparatively. Resulting in over consumption of food and imbalance in metabolism. Thus it can lead to excessive weight gain. 

Tooth decay:-

Such soft drinks contains acids and sugars which can significantly contribute in tooth decay. Thus excessive consumption of colas is also harmful for dental health.

Dementia:-

High consumption of sugars can lead to symptoms of dementia and even Alzheimer’s disease 

Effects like heroin:-

Within 40 minutes, the body has absorbed all of the caffeine from the cola. This caffeine causes the pupils to dilate and the Blood pressure to increase. By this point, the Coca-Cola has blocked the adenosine receptors in the brain, preventing drowsiness. Within 5 minutes the production of dopamine increases. According to the infographic, the way that Coca-Cola stimulates these centers is comparable to the effects of Heroin. It triggers a person’s urge to drink another can. 

Metabolic imbalance and diabetes:-

It can lead to metabolic imbalance as it seems to be less sensitive to hormone Insulin which clears the sugar levels in our body. Also the high sugar levels present inside colas can cause severe diabetes with regular consumption. Even one or two colas a day could increase your risk of Type 2 diabeties by more than 20%. 

Cancerous symptoms:-

Research also shows that postmenopausal women may be at a greater risk of developing Endometria(uterine) cancer if they consume colas. 

Psychiatric impact of colas 

There are certain research articles which postulate the vivid impact of colas on mental health and brain functioning:- 

Results of a study conducted in South Australia on the relationship between anxiety diagnosed by general practitioners, stress-related problems and soft drink consumption as well as suicide ideation and depression also showed that people drinking high amounts of soda were more likely to suffer from such issues. This information was collected using an annual risk factor surveillance system and 4,741 computer-assisted telephone interviews conducted among people ages 16 and over.  

The data according to the study indicated that 12.5% of respondents consumed more than 500mls of carbonated beverages daily. However, while this level was not related to any signs of anxiety, it significantly affected other mental disorders such as depression, stress or suicidal thoughts’ tendencies. Taking into account various variables, individuals who drank half a liter or more of soda every day were discovered to have a 60% higher chance compared with non-consumers suffering from either psychological distress; stress or suicidal ideation; depression. It is concluded by authors that there is indeed substantial relationship regarding soft drink consumption and mental health concerns in South Australia. 

The way forward:- 

1. Avoid staking cols frequently:- The frequent consumption of colas can have catastrophic consequences on your health that significantly decreases your immune power to fight. Thus you must schedule some dates of its consumption rather than including it in regular diet. 
2. Use alternatives:- Using milk, water, juices are far much better than carbonated drinks to provide energy. They will also be healthy and long lasting choice for you.  
3. Regular exercise:- The instant energy gained from energy drinks can also be gained through natural process. Thus will reduce the dependency on carbonated drinks.  

Thus in a nutshell we can conclude that carbonated colas if consumed without calculation can have significant negative ramifications. Thus we must ensure that we balance its consumption by trying its viable alternatives. The validity of researches indicating the over-consumption of such soft drinks is a matter of urgent attention specially for youths.  

References

Pexels

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/297600

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20074392/

https://sapienlabs.org/mentalog/coca-cola-brain/

https://www.webmd.com/diet/drinking-cola-good-for-you

The post An In-Depth Look at the ramifications of Colas appeared first on DU Times.

In an era of the Digital world and online transactions, Cryptocurrency is a term that has been in the limelight in the market since 2010. Initially, this was an ambiguous term which was very difficult to understand. It was understood as a platform of investment that suddenly erupted from the air however it is far from reality. It has its history and its special process of transaction. What is cryptocurrency? Why is it in the limelight? How it works? How safe is it for investments? The series of blogs shall cover the basics of cryptocurrency that evolved. First, we shall delve into its evolution to understand why it came into the market. Then we shall move towards its fundamentals and its social aspects. We shall cover this complex phenomenon easily in some series of blogs.  

Evolution of cryptocurrency 

In any economy, the production and distribution of material wealth is something to be considered as the primary goal. Everyone here requires a variety of material goods but cannot produce everything. Thus, we tend to get involved in the exchange process. This exchange process has its stages: – 

Barter system: –  

When the economy was in its initial stage people used to exchange goods and services in return for goods and services. It means that If I need a cat and I have shoes then I must find a person who needs shoes and is ready to give his cat in exchange. It seems to be a very difficult and time-consuming task that demands a further revolution in the market. 

Entry of metal coins 

Thus, we tended to find some representations of the value of goods that can be carried. No one has the time to find a person who needs a cat. Thus, we found some metal coins which can act as denotations of value paid. These metals, since they are limited in numbers, can have their value which can equate to the value of goods and services and thus can be exchanged altogether. It was also a decentralized system used for the transaction process. 

Evolution of banks and currency notes.

Then with time, institutions such as banks evolved which led to the generation of currency as legal tender. It means that a place will be specified where everyone can put their money and can withdraw on demand in case of ‘demand deposits’. The method of transaction here changed to currency notes and coins which themselves have no value. They are valuable just because the government claims that they are valuable. As in the case of demonetization, if one day the government claims that from now on this note is not a legal tender, that currency will lose its value. 

Currency notes, depending on the demand and supply of goods and services, international trade and the overall economic situation of a nation, can gain and lose their value.

Currently, because of the strong economic and political dominance of the USA, US dollars are taken as the standard for whether the currency of a nation has appreciated or depreciated and in what ratio. However, this trend is now changing and the Chinese yen, Russian rubles and Indian rupees are also in the limelight for standardization to decrease the polarization towards the USA.  

Thus, it is the bank here that keeps the record of transactions, and they are under the control of the Central Bank. Central banks work under the government thus making the transactions and value of money depend on the system working there. 

Rise of cryptocurrencies 

One of the major problems with using the currency (legal tender) and banking system here is that they have control of our money. Banks have complete data that shows how much money I have, where I am spending it and how much raise I am getting. Even in some special cases, if the government wants it can restrict its uses. It means till now, we have just earned and given our money to a centrally controlled system to keep it safe and tend to use it as per our requirements. 

However, such kind of transactions have created a sense of dissatisfaction among the wealth holders. The problem is that if I have earned the money, why should a system have control over it? Thus, it leads to the emergence of a need for a decentralized system to control the money we have. 

After the sudden dissimilation of computers, it created an idea why not have a system of records that would work on Unanimous Consensus.

It means rather than providing records to banks let’s have a unanimous record of transactions and a decentralized system that will entirely work based on demand and supply. Here the government will not have any control and we can freely use this currency as per the market principles. 

Here is the place where cryptocurrencies are raised. This is the same principle that follows and solves this raised problem. 

What is cryptocurrency? 

In an era of this digital world, we created a system where we hold a form of digital and decentralized currency known as cryptocurrency. It works with cryptography to maintain security. Cryptography is a field of study where we convert plain text to a code or cypher text that we can’t understand with our known language. Thus, programmed language ensures the security of data in public spheres.

It means if we have done any transaction with this currency. When it tends to get stored publicly it will have a specific code that will contain the data for security here. 

Just like UPI payments in India, these kinds of currencies are accepted as a medium of payment in many countries. It is somewhat the same, however, the difference is that Upi payments happen through banks which are centrally controlled whereas cryptocurrency is a decentralized medium of transactions. Many such currencies exist such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin etc.  

In a nutshell and way towards part 2 

This is an aspect that does require some detailing to have an insight.  In this blog first, we had a glimpse at why the need for cryptocurrency arose and how it evolved. Thereafter we have understood what this cryptocurrency is. However nowadays it is a platform of investment. So, what made it a platform of investment? What is the technology behind it and how viable is it to invest? All such aspects shall be covered in the next part of the blog provided below: – https://www.dutimes.com/what-is-cryptocurrency/

References

pexels, https://www.drishtiias.com/to-the-points/paper3/cryptocurrency-9

The post What is cryptocurrency? appeared first on DU Times.

Additionally, HRD Ministry announces this projection in a presentation to 15th Finance Commission. Moreover, Commission called the meeting to discuss education is times of pandemic.

The pandemic forced a digital divide in education. Henceforth, HRD Ministry bring into idea of spending Rs.60,000 crore in education in next 5 years in order to provide high school students with digital services.

Furthermore, the ministry also proposes to provide devices such as laptops and mobile phones to college and university students. Moreover, the other devices include TV sets and computer tabs. The same will help 40% of students studying in different universities and colleges. These facilities can be implemented by 2025-26.

The ministry assumes expenditure of Rs.15000 for every single device. Of the total budget of Rs.60,000 crore, share of central government may be Rs.36,473 crore over next 5 years. The remaining amount will to be made by the state governments. The same is according to the announcements made in the presentation by the ministry.

Additionally, the government also looks to create funds for online learning. The fund is to create more online content in improved methods. Additional amount of Rs.2,306 crore is  for developing courses for the educational channel of the HRD ministry and for platform of MOOC till 2025-26.

Related: https://www.dutimes.com/hrd-ministry-meeting-online-education-digital-divide-reopening-schools-mulled-upon/

The post HRD Ministry Proposes to Offer Digital Services to 4 Crore High School Students in Next 5 Years appeared first on DU Times.

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
If you are a Brad Pitt fan, this movie is just the one for you. The storyline is loosely based on F. Scott Fitzergerald’s short story. The movie is about a man who suffers from a rare disease wherein he is born as old and grows up to be an infant and dies. The movie is so deep with complicated narrative levels but genuinely heart touching. With eye-catching storyline, excellent cinematography and emotionally enchanting, this one deserves to be on the top of the list.

2. Interstellar (2014)
The tenth-highest grossing film of 2014 is next to perfect Si-Fi movie. Emotionally and visually resonant this one keep you interested till the end. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the movie tackles with the theory of relativity, black holes and concept of time and gravity. The story seems to move slow and might be confusing at times but is worth the famous twist at the end. Watching this movie in 3D will definitely be a treat to your eyes.

3. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
The movie is based on the true story of an entrepreneur, Christopher Gardner, a man who loses everything but dares to dream big. Filled with valuable and inspirational life lessons it is an outstanding family drama to watch out for. This movie will play with your emotions and you will definitely cry and laugh along with the characters.

4. Shutter Island (2010)
Starring Leonardo Di Caprio, Mark Ruffalo and Ben Kingsley, Shutter Island is a twisted-psychological neo-drama. Directed by Martin Scorsese, it is based on brilliant writing and a gripping screen play with unexpected series of events. This amazing breathtaking thriller will keep you hooked for a final plot twist. A classic, this one is an underrated but a must match movie!

5. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
This movie has a beautiful blend of science, drama and emotions. Truly an iconic from the last decade with an extraordinary story, the movie strongly delivers the message that with sheer willpower and hope, through passion and hard work everything can be achieved. A well directed, acted and scripted biography, this one is an inspirational for all.

The post 5 Mind Blowing Movies You Must Watch Before The Lockdown Ends appeared first on DU Times.