Nezam El-Tayebat Fact CheckA scientific assessment of the “نظام الطيبات” nutrition system
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Unclear / insufficient evidence Certainty of evidence: very low provisional C-SOD-09

Cola consumption damages the kidneys (chronic kidney disease).

Conclusion: Evidence for a kidney effect of cola is weak and preliminary.
  1. Original statement
  2. Scientific assessment
  3. In plain language
  4. Studies on this claim
  5. Regional context
  6. What applies in my country?
  7. References

Original statement

النتيجة المتراكمة في الأبحاث: زيادة وزن، سكري، قلب، سكتة، كلى، كبد دهني، نقرس، تسوس، وارتفاع الوفاة المبكرة.

verbatim according to source. Translation by the project; the Arabic wording is authoritative.

Translation

Cola consumption damages the kidneys (chronic kidney disease).

Origin

Source status
Archive editors
Attribution
Archive editors (study selection and narrative are the archive's, not necessarily Elawady's)
Origin
https://eltayebat.com/rule/soda/
Attribution uncertainty
The archive homepage states that the forbidden-food section is supported by research 'independently of Dr. Diaa's words'. No evidence was found that Elawady himself cited these studies.
Claimed mechanism

Phosphoric acid; urinary changes.

Claimed health effect

Chronic kidney disease.

Population concerned

Adults

Geographic restriction by Elawady

none found

Scientific assessment

Unclear / insufficient evidence – The data do not allow an assessment either way.

Certainty of evidence: very low – Any assessment is very uncertain.

1. What was claimed?

Sodas harm the kidneys.

2. What is demonstrably correct?

Saldana 2007 (A-SOD-13): >=2 colas/day associated with chronic kidney disease (OR 2.3, 1.4-3.7); non-cola carbonated drinks were not.

3. What is wrong or exaggerated?

Presented as part of 'cumulative evidence', but it rests on one preliminary case-control study prone to recall and selection bias.

4. What remains unclear?

Whether there is any causal effect.

5. Which studies support it?

A-SOD-13.

6. Which studies contradict it?

None reviewed; evidence base is thin.

7. What applies to Germany and Europe?

No EU data reviewed.

8. What is known about Egypt?

No Egypt-specific data.

9. What practical conclusion is appropriate?

No firm conclusion possible.

Assessment details

Rationale for certainty of evidence

Single small case-control study (465 cases) from 1980-1982 with self-reported intake; authors called results preliminary.

Source quality

Archive lists the study in its bibliography and includes 'kidneys' in its summary without qualification.

Regional transferability

Low (old US case-control).

Individual exceptions

Not applicable.

Regional scope of the claim
general (biological/medical)
Last reviewed
25 October 2026 provisional

In plain language

One older study found that people with kidney disease reported drinking more cola than people without. Such studies are easily biased. The authors themselves called their results preliminary. The link remains unproven.

Studies on this claim

Studies supporting the claim (0)

No studies in this group.

Studies contradicting or limiting the claim (0)

No studies in this group.

Studies with mixed or unclear results (1)

  • Cola and kidney disease

    Saldana TM et al.. Epidemiology 2007 · PMID 17525693 · DOI 10.1097/EDE.0b013e3180646338
    Case-control studycited by the Tayebat archiveabstract only checked

    People with kidney disease more often reported drinking two or more colas a day; authors called this preliminary.

    Does the study support the specific claim? Partly · Methodological quality: low · Certainty of evidence: see overall assessment of the claim

    Original publication · Scientific details

    Study explained simply
    What did the researchers want to find out?

    Are carbonated beverages (cola) associated with CKD?

    How was the study done?

    Case-control study.

    How many people, animals or samples were studied?

    465 cases; 467 controls; Newly diagnosed CKD patients and community controls

    What was actually found?

    >=2 colas/day OR 2.3 (1.4-3.7); regular colas 2.1 (1.3-3.4); artificially sweetened colas 2.1 (0.7-2.5 as printed); non-cola 0.94 (0.4-2.2).

    How large was the observed effect?

    OR 2.3 (1.4-3.7)

    What do the results mean in everyday life?

    Possible signal only.

    What are the study's limitations?

    Case-control: recall and selection bias; Old data; Small

    What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?

    Only evidence for C-SOD-09.

    Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?

    Low.

    What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?

    That cola damages kidneys.

    Scientific details →

Regional context

Germany / EU

No EU data reviewed.

Egypt

No Egypt-specific data.

What applies in my country?

General scientific assessment

Unclear / insufficient evidence Evidence for a kidney effect of cola is weak and preliminary.

The following areas of food safety are relevant to this statement:

  • Additives and processing

Honey, sugar, sweets

Choose a country to see the checked information for it.

Limits: legal rules describe what is allowed, not what every single food contains. Measurement data come from samples and are meaningful only together with their method details.

Country of residence or purchase Compare with another country

References

  1. Carbonated beverages and chronic kidney disease.. Saldana TM et al.. Epidemiology 2007 · PMID 17525693 · DOI 10.1097/EDE.0b013e3180646338

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