Cola
Checked by us One serving: 391 g (about 375 mL) · 164 kcal
Little of the nutrients we score, per serving.
Nothing to watch for most people so far.
Worth knowing for some people: caffeine in pregnancy.
Good for
How we counted this
What one serving (391 g) gives you.
Your body needs enough of each of these. Past enough, more doesn’t help. Amounts are what the food databases list, not what your body absorbs, unless a row says it was measured.
The words: “A lot” means one serving gives 20% or more of Health Canada’s daily amount, “Some” 10% to 19%, “A little” 2% to 9%, “Almost none” under 2%. Strongest word first; within a word, protein and fibre lead, then the biggest share. ?
A milligram (mg) is a thousandth of a gram, and a microgram (µg) a thousandth of a milligram: 1,000 µg make 1 mg.
No nutrient we score reaches “some” in one serving. The rest, at “a little” or less, is below.
22 more nutrients at a little or less
- A little
Zinc
Your immune system and healing wounds depend on it.
Learn more
0.35 mg in one serving: 3% of the 11 mg a day men need, 4% of the 8 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, zinc fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Selenium
Your thyroid uses it to make its hormones.
Learn more
0.39 µg in one serving: 1% of the 55 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, selenium fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Potassium
Your nerves, muscles and kidneys need it to work.
Learn more
19.6 mg in one serving: 1% of the 3,400 mg a day men need, 1% of the 2,600 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, potassium fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Iron
Carries oxygen in your blood.
Learn more
0.08 mg in one serving: 1% of the 8 mg a day men need, under 1% of the 18 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, iron fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Calcium
Builds your bones and teeth.
Learn more
3.91 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 1,000 mg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, calcium fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Choline
Your cells need it for their membranes, and to make acetylcholine, a messenger for memory, mood and muscle control.
Learn more
1.17 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 550 mg a day men need, under 1% of the 425 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, choline fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Omega-3: ALA
The one omega-3 your body can’t make: it must come from food. Your cells build it into their membranes and burn it for energy.
Learn more
0 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 1,600 mg a day men need, under 1% of the 1,100 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, omega-3 fatty acids fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Omega-3: EPA + DHA
Long-chain omega-3s, built into your cell membranes. DHA is concentrated in your brain and retinas.
Learn more
0 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 250 mg a day.
Health Canada sets no daily amount for these fats, so the daily figure here is the European Food Safety Authority’s.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, omega-3 fatty acids fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Fibre
Keeps your gut moving.
Learn more
0 g in one serving: under 1% of the 38 g a day men need, under 1% of the 25 g women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. Institute of Medicine 2005, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids
- Almost none
Folate
Your body needs it to make DNA and to divide new cells.
Learn more
0 µg in one serving: under 1% of the 400 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, folate fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Magnesium
Your muscles and nerves need it to work.
Learn more
0 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 400 mg a day men need, under 1% of the 310 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, magnesium fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Niacin (B3, niacin equivalents)
More than 400 of your enzymes need it to work.
Learn more
0 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 16 mg a day men need, under 1% of the 14 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, niacin fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Protein
Your muscles, and every other tissue, are built and repaired from it.
Learn more
0 g in one serving: under 1% of the 56 g a day men need, under 1% of the 46 g women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. Institute of Medicine 2005, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids
- Almost none
Riboflavin (B2)
Your cells use it to make energy and handle fats. It also helps turn tryptophan into niacin and activate vitamin B6.
Learn more
0 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 1.3 mg a day men need, under 1% of the 1.1 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, riboflavin fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Thiamin (B1)
Your cells use it to get energy from food, and so to grow and work.
Learn more
0 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 1.2 mg a day men need, under 1% of the 1.1 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, thiamin fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin A
Your eyes need it to see in dim light.
Learn more
Getting enough matters; more than enough doesn’t sharpen your sight.
0 µg in one serving: under 1% of the 900 µg a day men need, under 1% of the 700 µg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin A fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin B12
Your body needs it to make red blood cells and keep nerves working.
Learn more
0 µg in one serving: under 1% of the 2.4 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin B12 fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin B6
Helps you use protein, and your brain needs it to make its chemical messengers.
Learn more
0 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 1.3 mg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin B6 fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin C
Your body makes collagen with it, which wounds need to heal. It also helps you absorb iron from plants.
Learn more
0 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 90 mg a day men need, under 1% of the 75 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin C fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin D
Your body needs it to absorb calcium and keep your bones hard.
Learn more
Your skin also makes it in sunlight, so food is only one of its sources.
0 µg in one serving: under 1% of the 15 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin D fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin E
Shields the fats in your cells from damage; your immune system uses it too.
Learn more
0 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 15 mg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin E fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin K1
Your blood needs it to clot.
Learn more
0 µg in one serving: under 1% of the 120 µg a day men need, under 1% of the 90 µg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin K fact sheet for health professionals
Watch out
How we counted this
Caffeine in one sitting
Nothing to watchYou’d need about 4.1 servings in one sitting of this food alone to reach the limit.
Learn more
One serving carries 48.6 mg
How we got this
1,600 g in one sitting reaches the limit
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: under the limit
No cap: EFSA finds that single doses of caffeine up to 200 mg (about 3 mg/kg body weight for a 70-kg adult), from all sources, do not raise safety concerns for healthy adults. Health Canada's caffeine table: a regular cola can carries 36 to 46 mg of caffeine; at the upper end, 124.3 µg/g, 3,220 g of cola reach 400 mg in a day (4,110 g at the lower end). One 391 g serving carries 48.6 mg, 24% of 200 mg. EFSA adds that 100 mg may lengthen the time to fall asleep and shorten sleep in some adults, particularly close to bedtime; this is not treated as a limit.
Caffeine
Nothing to watchYou’d need about 8.2 servings in a day of this food alone to reach the limit.
Learn more
One serving carries 48.6 mg
How we got this
A serving a day adds 15–133% to what an average adult already takes in: a share of that intake, not of the limit.
3,200 g a day reaches the limit
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: under the limit
No cap: average adult intake spans a range, and each end is tested on its own. At the low end a daily serving keeps total intake under the limit; at the high end it adds less than double the average. Average adult caffeine intake from all sources runs from 36.5 to 319.4 mg a day across countries. At the low end of that range one serving equals 133% of it, but total intake stays under the limit; at the high end it adds 15.2%. Health Canada's caffeine table: a regular cola can carries 36 to 46 mg of caffeine; at the upper end, 124.3 µg/g, 3,220 g of cola reach 400 mg in a day (4,110 g at the lower end). One 391 g serving carries 48.6 mg, 12.2% of 400 mg.
Checked for added phosphates, nickel, cadmium, aluminum and lead: fine at normal amounts.
Added phosphates
Nothing to watchYou’d need about 79 servings in a day of this food alone to reach the limit.
Learn more
One serving carries 35.2 mg
How we got this
A serving a day adds 2.3–3.1% to what an average adult already takes in: a share of that intake, not of the limit.
31,000 g a day reaches the limit
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: under the limit
No cap: EFSA's group acceptable daily intake for phosphates (2019) is 40 mg/kg body weight/day expressed as phosphorus, 2,800 mg a day for 70 kg. It covers phosphorus from natural sources and from additives, so the cola's total phosphorus is the right comparison. Eaten alone, about 31,100 g a day would reach it. A 391 g serving carries 35.2 mg phosphorus on the USDA listing, 1.3% of the limit, and adds 2.3% to 3.1% to the average adult intake of 16-22 mg/kg body weight/day. Most of it is the phosphoric acid additive: FDA's Total Diet Study found 167 ppm in cola (65 mg a serving) and none in a lemon-lime soda. The limit does not apply to people with moderate to severe reduced kidney function.
Nickel
Nothing to watchYou’d need more than 100 servings in a day of this food alone to use up what the highest average adult intake we found leaves under the limit.
Learn more
One serving carries 4.16 µg
How we got this
A serving a day adds 1.7–2% to what an average adult already takes in: a share of that intake, not of the limit. With that serving every day, an average adult would be at about 27% of the limit.
The highest average adult intake we found already takes up about 26% of the limit. One serving a day fits in the room left.
Counted from zero, with no allowance for what adults already take in from other food, 85,000 g a day would reach the limit.
Why this rating: Eating it daily comes to 391 g a day, which stays within the 63,000 g of room left before the limit.
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: under the limit
No cap: nickel is rated against EFSA's tolerable daily intake of 13 µg/kg body weight/day (2020). The average adult already takes in 22-26% of it, under half, so a food would have to reach the limit on its own to matter. Eaten alone, about 85,439 g a day would reach it (non-detects counted as zero, so the true figure is lower). One serving carries 4.16 µg, 0.46% of the tolerable intake, and adds 1.4% to 3.3% to the average adult intake of 128-293 µg/day.
Health Canada, Canadian Total Diet Study – Trace Elements (2005–2018 composites) · grade B
Cadmium
Nothing to watchYou’d need about 95 servings a day, every day, of this food alone to use up what an average adult’s intake leaves under the limit.
Learn more
One serving carries 0.08 µg
How we got this
A serving a day adds 0.4% to what an average adult already takes in: a share of that intake, not of the limit. With that serving every day, an average adult would be at about 71% of the limit.
An average adult already takes in about 71% of the limit. One serving a day fits in the room left.
Counted from zero, with no allowance for what adults already take in from other food, 900,000 g a week would reach the limit.
Why this rating: Eating it daily comes to 2,737 g a week, which stays within the 260,000 g of room left before the limit.
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: under the limit
A daily serving adds 0.41% to an average adult's cadmium intake (EFSA 2012 adult median, 1.77 µg/kg body weight/week; Canadian adults in 2007: 1.2-1.75), far from doubling it, so no cap.
Health Canada, Canadian Total Diet Study – Trace Elements (2005–2018 composites) · grade B
Aluminum
Nothing to watchYou’d need more than 100 servings a day, every day, of this food alone to reach the limit.
Learn more
One serving carries 38.2 µg
How we got this
A serving a day adds 0.3–1.9% to what an average adult already takes in: a share of that intake, not of the limit.
720,000 g a week reaches the limit
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: under the limit
No cap: EFSA's tolerable weekly intake for aluminium is 1 mg/kg body weight/week (2008), 70 mg a week for 70 kg. Eaten alone, about 715,916 g a week would reach it. A serving a day comes to 0.27 mg a week, 0.38% of it, and adds 0.3% to 1.9% to the average adult intake of 14-105 mg a week. EFSA notes that average intake may already exceed the tolerable weekly intake in a significant part of the European population.
Health Canada, Canadian Total Diet Study – Trace Elements (2005–2018 composites) · grade B
Lead
Nothing to watchYou’d need more than 100 servings a day, every day, of this food alone to double the lead an average adult already gets. No dose is known to be safe, so doubling is where we flag.
Learn more
A serving a day adds 0.4% to what an average adult already takes in. There is no limit to take a share of.
One serving carries 0.13 µg
How we got this
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: doesn’t double average intake
No cap: a serving adds 0.134 µg of lead, 0.38% of the average adult intake of 35 µg/day (EFSA) and 1.9% of Canada's about 7 µg/day, far from doubling it. No safe threshold is set for lead.
Health Canada, Canadian Total Diet Study – Trace Elements (2005–2018 composites) · grade B
For some people
No cap: EFSA finds that caffeine up to 200 mg a day from all sources does not raise safety concerns for the fetus; Health Canada's figure for people planning pregnancy, pregnant or breastfeeding is 300 mg a day. Health Canada's caffeine table: a regular cola can carries 36 to 46 mg of caffeine; at the upper end, 124.3 µg/g, 3,220 g of cola reach 400 mg in a day (4,110 g at the lower end). One serving carries 48.6 mg, 24% of EFSA's 200 mg and 16.2% of Health Canada's 300 mg.
Worth knowing
No limit applies, so none is rated.
Sugar
39 g of sugar in a 391 g serving, natural and added together.
Learn more
Shown, not rated. The food tables we read give total sugar, and few give added sugar, so the site can’t yet tell sugar added in making a food from the sugar in fruit or milk.
Also checked (nothing to act on) · 4
Noted for context, or not measured in this food yet.
Total arsenic, not inorganic: Not rated (EFSA's inorganic-arsenic benchmark dose lower limit (BMDL05) needs the inorganic fraction; none found for cola). Context only.
Not measured in this food yet. Not rated: no Canadian measurement of benzene in regular cola has been found. Health Canada's tolerable daily intake for benzene from food and beverages is 0.36 µg/kg body weight/day, 25.2 µg/day for 70 kg. Benzene forms from benzoate with ascorbic acid, and regular cola is not labelled with benzoate in the records seen, but a label is not a measurement. A single US lot of regular cola without benzoate, ascorbate or EDTA had none detected. Diet colas are measured and rated on their own.
Not measured in this food yet. Not rated: no measured colour content per litre was found, and the class of caramel colour in a given cola is not on the label (Canada lists 'caramel'). EFSA (2011) set a group acceptable daily intake of 300 mg/kg body weight/day for caramel colours E 150 a-d, 21,000 mg a day for 70 kg, and 100 mg/kg body weight/day for Class III (E 150 c), 7,000 mg a day. EFSA ties cola-flavoured drinks mostly to Class IV, which falls under the group limit. EFSA also concluded that exposure may exceed the limit for Classes I, III and IV at the 95th and 97.5th percentile, from colours in many foods, not cola alone.
Measured in this food, not rated yet. Not rated: no agency tolerable intake for 4-MEI exists. EFSA 2011 set a group acceptable daily intake (ADI) for the caramel COLOURS (300 mg/kg body weight/day; Class III 100) and, for 4-MEI itself, only a mouse no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of 80 mg/kg body weight/day that it judged thresholded, concluding exposure estimates are 'not of concern'. Information only: 68.8 µg a serving / 70 kg = 0.98 µg/kg body weight against the NOAEL 80,000 µg/kg body weight/day = a margin of about 81,336 (this margin is our arithmetic, not an agency figure). California's Prop 65 No Significant Risk Level (29 µg/day) is a risk-based regulatory level, not an agency tolerable intake, and is not a limit here: this serving is 237% of it. Concentration in µg/g: 0.1761 (183.6 µg/L / 1.0427 g/mL).
Better options
How we counted this
“Better” here always means better at something the row names: more of one nutrient, more nutrients per serving, or the goal you pick. It never means better in every way.
Every amount below is for the same weight, 391 g, the size of one serving of this food, so a swap compares like with like. A serving of another food can be bigger or smaller.
The same thing, fewer calories
Diet cola8 kcal in 391 g (this food: 164)
More nutrients per serving, counted together
The other cold drinks we’ve checked with more nutrients per serving than this one, counting at most 100 kcal. One score ranks them all, so the same few often lead.
Orange juice- More vitamin C (196 mg vs 0 mg)
- More folate (117 µg vs 0 µg)
- More thiamin (0.35 mg vs 0 mg)
1 food out of the 2 other cold drinks we’ve checked and could compare gives clearly more nutrients per serving.
Where the calcium card measured that less calcium gets in than from milk, calcium counts for less; everything else is as listed.
Your goal
Your goal changes only this list, not what the food gives you or what to watch.
Losing weight: fewer calories, and more nutrients, protein and fibre for each calorie.
- Diet cola8 kcal in 391 g (this food: 164)
- Orange juice
- More vitamin C (196 mg vs 0 mg)
- More folate (117 µg vs 0 µg)
- More thiamin (0.35 mg vs 0 mg)
Building muscle: more protein and more calories, per 100 g.
Oat drink, unsweetened, fortified0.8 g protein · 48 kcal per 100 g- Orange juice0.7 g protein · 45 kcal per 100 g
2 foods out of the 4 other cold drinks we’ve checked and could compare give clearly more protein, and more calories, per 100 g.
Why some foods aren’t suggested
Left out: Oat drink, unsweetened, fortified (what it would be picked for may be added to it, and the amount depends on the brand).
Left out: Almond drink, unsweetened, fortified (Aflatoxins: go easy · what it would be picked for may be added to it, and the amount depends on the brand).
Bring a tracker export or describe your usual week. The same rules check all of it.
The numbers
Open every value
Name in the database: Cola, regular
How the serving was set: 1 1/2 cup (375 mL) (Health Canada TRA B.1, 'Carbonated and non-carbonated beverages')
Listed nutrients, per 100 g
For each nutrient, the value this page uses is marked “used”. A row marked “second database” is another database’s figure for a matching food, kept so you can see how far databases disagree (they can differ in the samples analysed, lab methods and rounding). Its own cells are worked out from it, but none of the page’s words or scores are.
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 calories | How | Source | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omega-3: ALA | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Calcium | 1 mg | 3.91 mg | 2.38 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| 1 mg | 3.91 mg | 2.38 mg | copy of USDA · not used | Canadian Nutrient File 2026 #5288 | C | |
| Carbohydrate | 10.36 g | 40.51 g | 24.67 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Choline | 0.3 mg | 1.17 mg | 0.71 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Energy | 42 kcal | 164.22 kcal | – | FDC Energy (kcal) used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) | – |
| Omega-3: EPA + DHA | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Fat | 0.25 g | 0.98 g | 0.6 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Fatty acids, total saturated | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Fibre | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Folate | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Iron | 0.02 mg | 0.08 mg | 0.05 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Magnesium | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Niacin (B3, niacin equivalents) | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | Canadian Nutrient File 2026 #5288 | C |
| Phosphorus | 9 mg | 35.19 mg | 21.43 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Potassium | 5 mg | 19.55 mg | 11.9 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Protein | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Selenium | 0.1 µg | 0.39 µg | 0.24 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Sodium | 3 mg | 11.73 mg | 7.14 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Sugars | 9.94 g | 38.87 g | 23.67 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Vitamin A | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Vitamin B12 | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Vitamin B6 | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Vitamin D | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Vitamin E | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Vitamin K1 | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Water | 89.36 g | 349.4 g | 212.76 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Zinc | 0.09 mg | 0.35 mg | 0.21 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per serving | Per 100 calories | How | Source | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beta-carotene | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Copper | 0.007 mg | 0.03 mg | 0.02 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Ash | 0.04 g | 0.16 g | 0.1 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Sucrose | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Glucose | 4.1 g | 16.03 g | 9.76 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Fructose | 5.84 g | 22.83 g | 13.9 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Maltose | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Alcohol, ethyl | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Caffeine | 9 mg | 35.19 mg | 21.43 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Theobromine | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Energy | 176 kj | 688.16 kj | 419.05 kj | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Galactose | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Vitamin A, IU | 0 iu | 0 iu | 0 iu | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Carotene, alpha | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Vitamin D (D2 + D3), International Units | 0 iu | 0 iu | 0 iu | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Cryptoxanthin, beta | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Lycopene | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Folic acid | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Folate, food | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Folate, DFE | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Vitamin E, added | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Vitamin B-12, added | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Fatty acids, total trans | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| SFA 4:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| SFA 6:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| SFA 8:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| SFA 10:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| SFA 12:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| SFA 14:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| SFA 16:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| SFA 18:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| MUFA 18:1 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| PUFA 18:2 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| PUFA 18:3 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| PUFA 20:4 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| PUFA 22:6 n-3 (DHA) | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| MUFA 16:1 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| PUFA 18:4 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| MUFA 20:1 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| PUFA 20:5 n-3 (EPA) | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| MUFA 22:1 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| PUFA 22:5 n-3 (DPA) | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Fatty acids, total monounsaturated | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Lactose | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Lutein + zeaxanthin | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Manganese | 0.003 mg | 0.01 mg | 0.01 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Niacin (B3, preformed) | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
| Retinol | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #174852 | C |
Change the amount to rescale the first column. Nutrients a database doesn't list are missing, not zero.
Hazard rows as the dataset rates them
- Aluminum · Nothing to watch: under the limit · No cap: EFSA's tolerable weekly intake for aluminium is 1 mg/kg body weight/week (2008), 70 mg a week for 70 kg. Eaten alone, about 715,916 g a week would reach it. A serving a day comes to 0.27 mg a week, 0.38% of it, and adds 0.3% to 1.9% to the average adult intake of 14-105 mg a week. EFSA notes that average intake may already exceed the tolerable weekly intake in a significant part of the European population. · Health Canada Total Diet Study, trace elements · B
- Arsenic, all forms · Context · Total arsenic, not inorganic: Not rated (EFSA's inorganic-arsenic benchmark dose lower limit (BMDL05) needs the inorganic fraction; none found for cola). Context only. · Health Canada Total Diet Study, trace elements · B
- Benzene · Not rated yet · Not rated: no Canadian measurement of benzene in regular cola has been found. Health Canada's tolerable daily intake for benzene from food and beverages is 0.36 µg/kg body weight/day, 25.2 µg/day for 70 kg. Benzene forms from benzoate with ascorbic acid, and regular cola is not labelled with benzoate in the records seen, but a label is not a measurement. A single US lot of regular cola without benzoate, ascorbate or EDTA had none detected. Diet colas are measured and rated on their own. · Health Canada 2008 · B
- Cadmium · Nothing to watch: under the limit · A daily serving adds 0.41% to an average adult's cadmium intake (EFSA 2012 adult median, 1.77 µg/kg body weight/week; Canadian adults in 2007: 1.2-1.75), far from doubling it, so no cap. · Health Canada Total Diet Study, trace elements · B
- Caffeine · Nothing to watch: under the limit · No cap: average adult intake spans a range, and each end is tested on its own. At the low end a daily serving keeps total intake under the limit; at the high end it adds less than double the average. Average adult caffeine intake from all sources runs from 36.5 to 319.4 mg a day across countries. At the low end of that range one serving equals 133% of it, but total intake stays under the limit; at the high end it adds 15.2%. Health Canada's caffeine table: a regular cola can carries 36 to 46 mg of caffeine; at the upper end, 124.3 µg/g, 3,220 g of cola reach 400 mg in a day (4,110 g at the lower end). One 391 g serving carries 48.6 mg, 12.2% of 400 mg. · Health Canada 2025 · B
- Caffeine in pregnancy · Nothing to watch: under the limit · No cap: EFSA finds that caffeine up to 200 mg a day from all sources does not raise safety concerns for the fetus; Health Canada's figure for people planning pregnancy, pregnant or breastfeeding is 300 mg a day. Health Canada's caffeine table: a regular cola can carries 36 to 46 mg of caffeine; at the upper end, 124.3 µg/g, 3,220 g of cola reach 400 mg in a day (4,110 g at the lower end). One serving carries 48.6 mg, 24% of EFSA's 200 mg and 16.2% of Health Canada's 300 mg. · Health Canada 2025 · B
- Caffeine in one sitting · Nothing to watch: under the limit · No cap: EFSA finds that single doses of caffeine up to 200 mg (about 3 mg/kg body weight for a 70-kg adult), from all sources, do not raise safety concerns for healthy adults. Health Canada's caffeine table: a regular cola can carries 36 to 46 mg of caffeine; at the upper end, 124.3 µg/g, 3,220 g of cola reach 400 mg in a day (4,110 g at the lower end). One 391 g serving carries 48.6 mg, 24% of 200 mg. EFSA adds that 100 mg may lengthen the time to fall asleep and shorten sleep in some adults, particularly close to bedtime; this is not treated as a limit. · Health Canada 2025 · B
- Caramel colour · Not rated yet · Not rated: no measured colour content per litre was found, and the class of caramel colour in a given cola is not on the label (Canada lists 'caramel'). EFSA (2011) set a group acceptable daily intake of 300 mg/kg body weight/day for caramel colours E 150 a-d, 21,000 mg a day for 70 kg, and 100 mg/kg body weight/day for Class III (E 150 c), 7,000 mg a day. EFSA ties cola-flavoured drinks mostly to Class IV, which falls under the group limit. EFSA also concluded that exposure may exceed the limit for Classes I, III and IV at the 95th and 97.5th percentile, from colours in many foods, not cola alone. · EFSA 2011 · B
- Lead · Nothing to watch: doesn’t double average intake · No cap: a serving adds 0.134 µg of lead, 0.38% of the average adult intake of 35 µg/day (EFSA) and 1.9% of Canada's about 7 µg/day, far from doubling it. No safe threshold is set for lead. · Health Canada Total Diet Study, trace elements · B
- 4-MEI (from caramel colour) · Not rated yet · Not rated: no agency tolerable intake for 4-MEI exists. EFSA 2011 set a group acceptable daily intake (ADI) for the caramel COLOURS (300 mg/kg body weight/day; Class III 100) and, for 4-MEI itself, only a mouse no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of 80 mg/kg body weight/day that it judged thresholded, concluding exposure estimates are 'not of concern'. Information only: 68.8 µg a serving / 70 kg = 0.98 µg/kg body weight against the NOAEL 80,000 µg/kg body weight/day = a margin of about 81,336 (this margin is our arithmetic, not an agency figure). California's Prop 65 No Significant Risk Level (29 µg/day) is a risk-based regulatory level, not an agency tolerable intake, and is not a limit here: this serving is 237% of it. Concentration in µg/g: 0.1761 (183.6 µg/L / 1.0427 g/mL). · Smith 2015 · B
- Nickel · Nothing to watch: under the limit · No cap: nickel is rated against EFSA's tolerable daily intake of 13 µg/kg body weight/day (2020). The average adult already takes in 22-26% of it, under half, so a food would have to reach the limit on its own to matter. Eaten alone, about 85,439 g a day would reach it (non-detects counted as zero, so the true figure is lower). One serving carries 4.16 µg, 0.46% of the tolerable intake, and adds 1.4% to 3.3% to the average adult intake of 128-293 µg/day. · Health Canada Total Diet Study, trace elements · B
- Added phosphates · Nothing to watch: under the limit · No cap: EFSA's group acceptable daily intake for phosphates (2019) is 40 mg/kg body weight/day expressed as phosphorus, 2,800 mg a day for 70 kg. It covers phosphorus from natural sources and from additives, so the cola's total phosphorus is the right comparison. Eaten alone, about 31,100 g a day would reach it. A 391 g serving carries 35.2 mg phosphorus on the USDA listing, 1.3% of the limit, and adds 2.3% to 3.1% to the average adult intake of 16-22 mg/kg body weight/day. Most of it is the phosphoric acid additive: FDA's Total Diet Study found 167 ppm in cola (65 mg a serving) and none in a lemon-lime soda. The limit does not apply to people with moderate to severe reduced kidney function. · US food database (USDA SR Legacy) · C
Oxalate, phytate and gut-tolerance measurements
- fodmap excess fructose: fructose 54.2 g/L minus glucose 45.8 g/L = 8.4 g/L (our arithmetic on two reported means); per 375 mL serving 3.15 g, per 391 g g/L · as sold, beverage · Coca Cola (regular), Japanese market, enzymatic method after invertase · grade B · Ando 2023
Sources
- Ando Y, Ohta Y, Munetsuna E, et al. Laboratory analysis of glucose, fructose, and sucrose contents in Japanese common beverages. Fujita Med J · doi:10.20407/fmj.2022-009 · PMID 37234384
ando-2023-sugars· full text read · CC BY (Europe PMC licence field, PMC10206900) - Health Canada, Canadian Nutrient File 2026 (14th edition)
cnf-2026· dataset · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0 - EFSA ANS Panel, Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of caramel colours (E 150 a,b,c,d) as food additives, EFSA Journal 9(3):2004 · doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2011.2004
efsa-2011-caramel· full text read · licence not recorded - USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, 2018-04
fdc-sr-legacy-2018-04· dataset · CC0 1.0 (public domain) - Health Canada, Health Risk Assessment: Benzene in Beverages (hazard characterisation, TDI 0.36 µg/kg bw/day)
hc-benzene-hra-2008· full text read · Government of Canada terms - Health Canada, Caffeine in Foods (page details 2025-04-02): Table 1 recommended maximum daily intake; Table 2 average caffeine in food and drink
hc-caffeine-foods-2025· full text read · Government of Canada terms - Health Canada, Canadian Total Diet Study – Trace Elements (2005–2018 composites)
hc-tds-trace-elements· dataset · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0 - Smith TJ, Wolfson JA, Jiao D, et al. Caramel color in soft drinks and exposure to 4-methylimidazole: a quantitative risk assessment. PLoS ONE 10(2):e0118138 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0118138 · PMID 25693062
smith-2015-4mei· full text read · CC BY (Europe PMC licence field, PMC4333292)
Body map 2026-10-25.1: each nutrient’s job comes from an agency fact sheet, linked beside it under Good for.
The plain words: “a lot” means one serving (100 g when the food has no serving size) gives at least 20% of the daily amount (the reference intake), “some” at least 10%, “a little” at least 2% (the cut-offs are ours, one set for every page: 20% and 10% are borrowed from the US labelling terms “high” and “good source” and applied to Health Canada’s daily amount, whereas Health Canada’s own shopper rule says 15%; provisional: they may change in a later method version). The daily amount is Health Canada’s Dietary Reference Intake for adults 19–30; where men and women need different amounts we use the higher one (protein: 56 g for men, 46 g for women). The percentage printed under each nutrient is the printed amount as a share of that daily amount, rounded to the nearest whole number, and the word is read from that percentage, so the amount, the percentage and the word always agree. Calcium with a measured absorption is scaled by how well it gets in compared with milk.
The scale: “Nothing to watch” means a serving a day stays under the limit at ordinary amounts; “Go easy” means a serving a day can push past the limit for adults who already take in the most, or fewer than 2 servings reach it; “Limit it” means once a week or less. The dataset’s own rating is under “How we got this”. Provisional: the scale may change in a later method version.
Measured absorption under Good for: grade-A studies in adults that tested this preparation of this food, as a share of the listed amount (the share digested, for protein), quoted once each source has passed our evidence check; animal studies and other variants stay in the table above. Provisional: this screen may change in a later method version.