A can of soda after a long day can really be a pick-me-up , but can that crisp, bubbly cola be weakening your bones?
New research has found that cola may be tied to lower bone mineral density, a risk factor for osteoporosis, especially in older women. And it's not just regular, sugary cola, but also diet and decaffeinated colas that are tied to brittle bones.
Researchers compared the bone mineral density of more than 2,500 men and women. Bone mineral density is way of measuring the makeup of one's bones to determine their overall strength. Those with low bone mineral density are at greater risk for osteoporosis and serious fractures. Each participant also answered a survey about their general dietary habits.
For women in the study, cola consumption was strongly linked to lower bone mineral density in their hips, no matter what kind of cola a woman drank on a regular basis. There was no link between cola and bone strength for men.
"The more cola the women drank, the lower their bone mineral density was," said Dr. Katherine Tucker, study author from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. "However, we did not see an association with bone mineral density loss for women who drank carbonated beverages that were not cola."
The key difference between cola and other carbonated drinks, said Tucker, is the presence of phosphoric acid, which may be the blame for lower bone strength. In fact, previous studies have found that phosphoric acid may inhibit the ability of the body to use calcium, potentially inhibiting bone building.
It is important to note that all of the women in the study had similar calcium intakes, so the increased soda intake did not take the place of calcium-rich milk. However, those that drank the most cola did seem to have a lower intake of non-dairy sources of calcium, such as green, leafy vegetables and beans.
Health
"A diet low in calcium and high in phosphorus may promote bone loss," said Tucker.
Experts recommend that both men and women include about 1,200 mg of calcium into their diet every day. However, the women in the study only consumed about 1,000 mg of calcium each day, while men only consumed about 800 mg.
The men in the study who drank cola did not seem to suffer from any ill effects in regards to their bone strength, but that may be simply because they have, in general, much stronger bones than women.
"It is not clear why females would be more sensitive to the effects of cola than males," wrote the study authors in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, "Girls and women have smaller bones overall, are at higher risk of osteoporosis and may be more sensitive to nutritional [problems]."
While everyone should realize that what you eat has the potential to affect your bones, "there is no concrete evidence that an occasional cola will harm the bones," said Tucker, "However, women concerned about osteoporosis may want to steer away from frequent consumption of cola until further studies are conducted."
