WARNING: Mexican 7-Up Laced with Meth

Health Wellness

How often have we heard that soft drinks are bad for you? They contain a ton of sugar which is bad on your heart, blood sugar, kidneys and more. It’s been connected to obesity, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, all of which increases a person’s risk of heart disease and strokes.

Diet soft drinks aren’t much healthier. The carbonation in diet and regular soft drinks can increase the chance of acid reflux and heartburn, among other things. There is still a lot of controversy surrounding the artificial sweeteners used in diet soft drinks. Some of those artificial sweeteners may have their own health risks. Just because diet soft drinks don’t have all the sugar that regular soft drinks do, but they can still be a factor in weight gain.

When I developed type 2 diabetes, my doctor told me no more soft drinks. At the time, the only soft drink I enjoyed was Dr. Pepper, but that has all ended. I don’t like the taste of diet Dr. Pepper and my doctor told me that there are other issues with diet soft drinks that make them bad for your health. Basically – Don’t drink soft drinks of any kind.

So, when you travel to other countries like Mexico, for years, we have been told not to drink the water. I grew up in Arizona, just a couple hours north of the Mexican border and have visited our southern neighbor a number of times. Today, they tell you take bottled water from home, but back in my day, they didn’t sell of these bottled waters. Drinking the water in Mexico often led to getting what was referred to as Montezuma’s revenge or a bad case of diarrhea. This was usually caused by some bacterial infection found in the water.

If we weren’t supposed to drink the water in Mexico and they didn’t sell bottle water back then, as kids, we had no choice but to drink soft drinks. We often took some with us, but on some of our longer fishing trips to places like Rocky Point (Puerto Peňasco), we wouldn’t have enough soft drinks to last and had to buy soft drinks from the local stores.

Back then, the soft drinks we bought were not a problem, but today, there is a health warning being issued about drinking 7-Up bottled in Mexico. Whether you are in Mexico, other Central American countries or in any of our southern border states, beware of 7-Up from Mexico.

Why the health warning?

“Medical Toxicologists and Emergency Department physicians are on high alert after reports of tampering to soft drinks emerged from Mexico several days ago. These reports indicate that 7UP® bottles consumed in Mexicali, Mexico, were contaminated with methamphetamine. An investigation is underway to determine how the drinks were contaminated.”

“Experts remind people to be vigilant when traveling. ‘It is important to check that the seal for any food and drink consumed is still intact and show no signs of tampering,’ said Dr. Daniel Brooks, Banner Poison and Drug Information Center medical director. ‘If you notice any difference in color, taste or smell, throw it out’.”

“Side-effects from this soft drink contamination can present suddenly and may result in life threatening illness. Symptoms may include:

  • Irritation of, or abnormal taste in, the mouth our throat
  • Burning to the esophagus or abdomen
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Fast or irregular heartbeat”

The meth-laced 7-Up was mostly confined to 2-liter bottles produced in Mexico. So far, there has been at least 1 death and a number of people hospitalized after drinking the contaminated soft drink.

So, if you are traveling to Mexico or anywhere in Central America, don’t drink the water and don’t drink the 7-Up.

Healthy Diet Mexican 7-Up Soda

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