Put down the Coke, Lindsay — no, the one you're drinking — unless you want kidney problems

There was a dark period in my young life where I consumed between 2 and 40 cans of coke a day — not Diet Coke or Pepsi, mind you, but pure, unfiltered, Triple-C Coca-Cola Classic. (Only the best for my body, I always say). I had to quit when my sugar levels got so high I would lift a bus but then crash hard and take a nap right on the curb after I threw it. That's how the cops find you.

I hadn't thought about it much since, but now I'm a little bit worried about my past: Drinking two or more cola drinks, artificially sweetened or not, can lead to a twofold risk of chronic, serious kidney disease, according to a study published in the journal Epidemiology.

Colas contain high levels of phosphoric acid, which has been linked to kidney stones and renal problems, but the evidence was considered largel anecdotal and circumstantial until the NIH decided to investigate.

The NIH scientists compared 465 people with chronic kidney disease and 467 healthy people, and after controlling for other factors, discovered that people who drank two or more cola sodas a day had higher incidences of kidney problems.

It's still not completely known what it is about cola that causes kidney problems, but along with the phosphoric acid, cola possesses the strange property of being able to leech calcium from the bones, which could be related (eeek).

Interestingly, drinking two or more non-cola sodas did not increase the risk of kidney disease, so Michael Ian Black, Jim Gaffigan, Kathy Griffin and all you other Sierra Mist-drinking comedians out there should be OK.

Me, I'm sticking to grain alcohol.

The Claim: Too Much Cola Can Cause Kidney Problems (NY Times)