Effects of Fizzy Drinks on Blood Sugar Level, Sputum and Enteric Bacterial Populations in Healthy Human Beings

Abstract

Fizzy drinks are non-alcoholic beverages typically containing water, sweetener, carbon dioxide, acidulates, flavourings, colourings, chemical preservatives, antioxidants, and/or foaming agents. They are usually characterized by a high C/N ratio and low pH, which allows the growth of specific microbial groups while limiting others. Blood sugar level, sputum, and faecal samples were collected from twenty healthy students (pre and post-fasting) and analyzed microbiologically to determine the effect of the consumption of fizzy drinks on the body’s enteric bacteria population. Samples were processed and cultured using pour plate and streak plate techniques in three selective media consisting of Maconkey agar, Salmonella Shigella agar, and Eosin Methylene Blue agar. Differentiation and isolation of various isolates were based on gram-staining technique after culturing for 24 hours at 37ºC and biochemical reactions using MICROBACT 12A/12B and 24E identification kits. Following consumption of fizzy drinks 35cl for females and 60cl for males, results show there was no significant difference between pre and post fasting blood sugar levels (84.2 and 85.7) and (90.7 and 118.1) mg/dl in males and females respectively. In females, post-consumption blood sugar level was higher (86.6 to 82.0) mg/dl in the Bigi Lemon group compared with lower post-consumption blood sugar level (84.8 to 86.4) mg/dl in Bigi Orange group. Among males, post-consumption blood sugar level was higher in both Coke and Fanta groups (93.6 to 123.8 and 87.8 to 112.4) mg/dl respectively. The average oral microbial load from sputum samples reduced in both males and females (1.90 to 0.93× 105) and (1.52 to 0.44× 105) cfu/g respectively post consumption. Post consumption, sixty-three bacterial isolates comprising eight organisms in sputum with the following percentage prevalence were detected, namely: Micrococcus varians (18.18%), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (3.030%), Micrococcus acidophilus (21.212%), Bacillus macerans (18.18%), Bacillus cereus (9.09%), Staphylococcus aureus (9.09%), Streptococcus pyogenes (3.030%) and Bacillus subtilis (18.18%), while in faecal samples with the following bacteria with the following percentage prevalence were isolated: Staphylococcus aureus (7.94%), Escherichia coli (25.40%), Klebsiella (20.63%), Shigella (17.46%) and Salmonella (28.57%).