Acidic Levels in Different Sodas

Acidity within liquids is measured using the pH scale. Closer to 1 indicates more acidity, closer to 10 indicates more alkalinity and 7 is considered neutral. Fresh water is the closest substance to neutral, hovering just above or below 7. The different body fluids we possess range from 4.5 and 7.5 pH, with the blood slightly alkaline at 7.35 to 7.45 pH. The average acidic level in different sodas is approximately 3 pH -- highly acidic. Add this to my Recipe Box.

HFCS Soda

HFCS, also know as high fructose corn syrup, is a man-made chemical that is made from corn. HFCS can be preserved more easily than natural sugar, is cheaper to manufacture and is found in nearly every soda and sweet on the market today. The average acidity level of an HFCS soda like Coke or Pepsi is 2.5 pH. This is extremely acidic considering tap water has a pH level of 7.5 -- near neutral on the pH scale.

Diet Soda

Diet sodas posses a slightly less acidic pH level of 3 to 3.5. This does not make diet sodas any safer to drink, however. The average blood pH level must remain within an alkaline range of 7.35 to 7.45 pH. Drinking diet or HFCS sodas alters the chemistry of your blood by spiking the acid levels. In response, the body pulls minerals like calcium from your bones to absorb the acids. The danger arises when you drink soda frequently, which depletes the minerals in your body and increases the pH level of your body -- a condition that has been linked to increased risk of cancer and other diseases that require high acid levels to thrive.

Least Acidic Sodas

Mug Root Beer, Diet 7-Up, Diet Mountain Dew, Sprite and Diet Coke have the lowest acidic pH levels of the sodas tested, with 4.038, 3.706, 3.365, 3.298 and 3.289 respectively.

Moving down to sodas with more acidity, Mountain Dew, 7-Up, Diet Dr Pepper and Slice Orange have pH levels ranging from 3.229 and 3.202 to 3.169 and 3.059.

Most Acidic Sodas

Dropping down below 3 pH, Diet Pepsi, Lemon Nestea, Dr Pepper, Squirt, Lemon Brisk, Pepsi, Coke and Cherry Coke have high acidic levels of 3.031, 2.969, 2.899, 2.898, 2.868, 2.530, 2.525 and 2.522 pH levels respectively.

The king of acidity, RC Cola, possesses a pH level of 2.387.