It is being discovered that soda can have serious health risks including loss of bone mass. Are there certain kinds of soda that are worse or do all sodas cause loss of bone mass?
According to a slideshow on MSN Health, soft drinks are one of the 6 Foods That Weaken Bones. It states that phosphoric acid in soda increases calcium loss in urine. Also, soda is a useless drink that may temporarily satisfy your thirst, but provides no nutritional value. Do all sodas contain phosphoric acid? What do studies say about soda and the loss of bone mass?
Soda and Loss of Bone Mass: Do All Sodas Contain Phosphoric Acid? According to a study by Katherine L Tucker, colas were the only soft drink to be associated with loss of bone mass. So for the slideshow to state that sodas in general cause loss of bone mass is misleading, as only colas have been shown to lessen bone density levels.
Does the Fizziness of Carbonated Beverages Cause Loss of Bone Mass? According to the MSN slideshow, phosphoric acid is what causes the fizziness in soft drinks. If that were the case, how are non-colas still fizzy when they don’t contain phosphoric acid? According to Seltzer Beverage, carbonation is created by adding carbon dioxide to a liquid, not phosphoric acid.
Does Caffeine in Soda Affect Loss of Bone Mass? According to this study, there was a loss of bone mass even with decaffeinated and diet colas. This would show that the phosphoric acid more than the caffeine is responsible for decrease in bone mass.
Does High Fructose Corn Syrup in Soda Affect Loss of Bone Mass? Again, according to this study, it would seem that phosphoric acid rather than high fructose corn syrup is the culprit in loss of bone mass. Non-cola carbonated beverage drinkers showed no loss in bone density and non-cola soft drinks can contain high fructose corn syrup.
Soda and Loss of Bone Mass. By reading the above, it is not all soda that causes loss of bone mass. This effect is unique to cola soft drinks due to phosphoric acid content. Soda is not a healthy beverage and intake should be limited. You can read more in my article Soda Controversy: Is Drinking Soda Killing You?
As you can see, a little research showed that not all soda in the study caused loss of bone mass, it was specific to cola due to phosphoric acid, which is not in non-cola soft drinks according to the research. Although the study showed bone loss for older women, you should still reduce your intake of cola to avoid other health risks including the potential for loss of bone mass.
THIS ARTICLE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE OR TREAT ANY CONDITION. WHEN YOU ARE UNSURE OF INFORMATION, IT IS BEST TO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH TO BE SURE TO GET ALL THE FATCS PRIOR TO MAKING DECISIONS.
SOURCES:
Melanie Haiken; 6 Foods That Weaken Bones; MSN Health
Katherine L Tucker, et. al.; Colas, but not other carbonated beverages, are associated with low bone mineral density in older women: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study; The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Seltzer Beverage; How Drinks Are Carbonated and What Carbonation Means
Jolynne M. Hudnell; Soda Controversy: Is Drinking Soda Killing You?; Associated Content
