Sipping Soda May Soften Bones
Just why soft drinks seem to have this effect in women remains unclear

(HealthDay News) -- Drinking soda, especially colas, may be bad for your bones.

Women who drink just five carbonated beverages a week have been found to have lower bone mineral density than those who don't drink such beverages. The research was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition .

Exactly how sodas could cause bone problems isn't known, though some experts suspect it's because soda replaces healthier drinks such as milk or juice fortified with calcium. Others theorize that it might be the caffeine in colas that causes the problem, because caffeine has been linked to an increased risk of osteoporosis.

Another theory points to phosphoric acid, an ingredient found in colas. The thought is that it might cause an imbalance in the bones, because the body could be trying to neutralize that acid with calcium, and without enough calcium in the diet, the needed calcium would come from the bones.

"Phosphate is in milk, but milk also contains calcium and vitamin D," Dr. Primal Kaur, director of the Osteoporosis Center at Temple University Health Sciences Center , told HealthDay . "In soft drinks, there is just phosphoric acid and no calcium. Extra overzealous drinking may lead to a phosphoric acid imbalance, and if there's not enough calcium, the body goes to the bones to restore the balance."

More than 34 million Americans are at risk for osteoporosis, and 10 million already have the disease, according to the U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. More than two-thirds of those at risk or who have osteoporosis are women.

The bone-thinning disease is associated with low levels of calcium and increases the risk of bone fractures. Risk factors for the disease include getting older, having a family history of the diseases, being small-boned or being female, white or Asian, according to the institute.

The study that implicated cola-drinking included more than 2,500 people, who averaged about 60 years old. The researchers, from Tufts University , found that cola consumption was associated with lower bone mineral density in the hips of women, regardless of age, menopause, or total calcium and vitamin D intake.

Decaffeinated colas did not appear to cause as much of a problem, but diet colas with caffeine were implicated in lower bone mineral density findings.

No link between sodas and thinner bones was found in men.

"Moderation is really important," Kaur said. "If you really like soft drinks, you don't need to take them out of your diet completely, but limit yourself to one or two glasses" a week.

Exercise is another important way to help prevent osteoporosis, said Dr. Lawrence Raisz, director of the University of Connecticut Center for Osteoporosis.

"The standard recommendation is a half an hour a day for adults and an hour a day for kids, but anything is better than nothing," he said. "Try to walk at least a half a mile a day, and engage in a weight-bearing exercise of some sort."

On the Web

To learn more about osteoporosis, visit the American College of Rheumatology explains more about osteoporosis.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Lawrence Raisz, M.D., director, University of Connecticut Center for Osteoporosis, Farmington; Primal Kaur, M.D., rheumatologist, and director, Osteoporosis Center, Temple University Health Sciences Center, Philadelphia; The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ; U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, http://www.niams.nih.gov
Author: Serena Gordon
Publication Date: May 31, 2009
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