Arab Healthy Water Association

7 UP Plans Introduction of 7 UP PLUS Carbonated Beverage Fortified With Calcium, Vitamin C and Juice

Posted: 6/2/2004 5:12:56 PM

First of Its Kind Category From a Major Carbonated Beverage Brand; Developed to Reflect Changing Consumer Tastes and Lifestyles

PLANO, Texas, June 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. today announced plans to introduce 7 UP PLUS, a carbonated beverage fortified with calcium, vitamin C, real fruit juice and sweetened with Splenda. 7 UP PLUS represents the first fortified carbonated beverage from a major brand and represents a new category for carbonated beverages.

"We are extremely excited about the positive buzz around the development of 7 UP PLUS. Consumers tell us the product tastes great, and nutritionists say this is exactly the choice of beverage many people today are seeking to bring greater balance into their lives," said Randy Gier, Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages executive vice president-marketing. "Our research indicates there are times when consumers want their favorite, classic soft drinks with added nutritional benefits. 7 UP PLUS is an easy way for consumers to put some 'balance in their bubbles' when choosing a carbonated! beverage."

7 UP PLUS combines the crisp, clean refreshing taste of 7 UP with a splash of real fruit juice. A 12-oz. serving would provide a good source of calcium and vitamin C according to U.S. RDI (reference daily intake) guidelines. 7 UP PLUS will be sweetened with Splenda and will contain approximately 10 calories and three grams of carbohydrates per serving. Consistent with 7 UP's heritage as the original "uncola," 7 UP PLUS will be caffeine free.

"7 UP is an iconic brand celebrating 75 years of refreshment and a heritage of challenging conventional thinking," stated Jim Trebilcock, 7 UP senior vice president-marketing. "7 UP's clean flavor profile makes it uniquely qualified to be a leader and introduce this new category of beverages. Consumer tastes and lifestyles are changing, and 7 UP continues to change with them by providing beverage choices that allow people to have a more balanced lifestyle."

The company is currently finalizing marketin! g and distribution plans for the product launch.

Plano, Texas- based Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. is the largest beverage division of London-based beverage and confectionery firm Cadbury Schweppes plc (NYSE: CSG; London: CBRY). Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. is also the largest producer of non-cola soft drinks in North America. The company's leading brands include Dr Pepper, 7 UP, Sunkist, A&W Root Beer, Canada Dry, Squirt, Hawaiian Punch and Schweppes, as well as the RC Cola and Slush Puppie brands.

London-based Cadbury Schweppes plc is a producer and marketer of branded confectionery and beverage products in approximately 200 countries. In the Americas region, the company's primary brands include Bubbilicious/Bubbaloo, Cadbury (Dairy Milk), Dr Pepper, Dentyne, Hall's, Mott's, 7 UP, Snapple, Trident, and numerous additional beverage and confectionery products. For additional information on Cadbury Schweppes and its products, visit http://www.cadburyschweppes.com .

Source: Cadbury Schweppes

To: Randy Gier, Executive Vice President -- Marketing at Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages
Jim Trebilcock, Senior Vice President -- Marketing at 7-Up

Dear Sirs:

You are to be congratulated on your good intention of improving the healthfulness of 7-Up with your new 7-Up Plus product. 7-Up is popular both in Arab countries and the US.

7-Up Plus has caught the attention of both the Arab Healthy Water Association http://www.mgwater.com/arabhwa.shtml and the Healthy Water Association of the US http://www.mgwater.com/hwa.shtml Our committees of scientists and Arab water officials have determined that 7-Up Plus, while well-intentioned, is so formulated that it will accidentally increase the rate of death from heart disease in both the Arab world and the US. The problem is that by fortifying with calcium, without also fortifying with magnesium, the Ca/Mg dietary ratio may be thrown out of balance. See medical journal articles about this at:

http://www.mgwater.com/bj0198.shtml
http://www.mgwater.com/alturacv.shtml

Calcification of the heart will result, among other bad things.

While we applaud your good intentions, we must ask that you reformulate 7-Up Plus so that it is healthful, by adding magnesium. The details of how to add magnesium without impacting flavor can be found on our web site at http://www.mgwater.com/arabhwa.shtml The simple instructions are to add Magnesium Hydroxide Powder to carbonated water, which turns it into Magnesium Bicarbonate. There are several sources for this powder, such as SPI Pharma's product 5100 CG Mg Hydroxide Powder, available through Chris Busch, (302) 576-8516.

Hard water can be an important source of magnesium. Desert springs and wells are often rich in magnesium, but modern water treatment plants use Reverse Osmosis or other purification which removes magnesium from water.

Magnesium deficiency may be causing about 990,000 Arab deaths per annum, assuming Arab population is 300,000,000 and based on international projections*. This assumes that Arab diets, like Western diets, are trending toward more refined foods and purified water, lacking magnesium. Most Mg-deficiency deaths are a result of heart disease, but asthma, migraine, cramps, and many other illnesses can be caused by magnesium deficiency.

Adult males should get 420 mg of magnesium per day, but are actually averaging only 327 mg/day, according to an exhaustive literature review.

Worldwide, there are 79 brands of bottled water containing 110 mg/L magnesium or more.

Natural springs containing magnesium bicarbonate may be found in geologic "ultra-mafic" rock formations containing the rock called "serpentine."

There are two ways of putting magnesium into purified drinking water:

(a) magnesium chloride (doesn't taste very good, but inexpensive)
(b) magnesium bicarbonate (tastes good, but costs a little more)

There may also be extra health benefits from the bicarbonate.

To see the medical journal articles supporting these statements, please see below.

The Arab Healthy Water Association petitions that all Health Agencies recommend that all bottled water and soft drinks contain at least 100 mg/L magnesium. Such a recommendation would encourage bottlers to improve the healthfulness of their beverages, saving numerous lives.

* Calculations of American Deaths Caused by Magnesium Deficiency, As Projected from International Data, by Paul Mason

• Epidemiology of Water Magnesium; Evidence of Contributions to Health
  
• Magnesium in Drinking Water and Ischemic Heart Disease
  
• Magnesium level in drinking water: its importance in cardiovascular risk
  
• Magnesium and Public Health: The Impact of Drinking Water
  
• Risk of myocardial infarction in relation to magnesium and calcium concentrations in drinking water, with some aspects on the magnesium vs. fluoride interactions
  
• Content of Magnesium in Drinking Water and Deaths from Ischaemic Heart Disease in White South Africans
  
• Magnesium Level in Drinking Water and Cardiovascular Risk Factor: A Hypothesis
  
• Health significance of drinking water calcium and magnesium
  
• Benefits of Magnesium-Rich Mineral Waters: Water Magnesium Retention and Absorption with meals
  
• Variation in the Mineral Content of Commercially Available Bottled Waters: Implications for Health and Disease
  
• Meal effect on magnesium bioavailability from mineral water in healthy women
  
• Magnesium bioavailability from mineral water. A study in adult men.
• Many more pages about magnesium are online at The Magnesium Web Site