Cola Drinks Increase Risk of Osteoporosis
WLR dietitian Juliette Kellow reveals how drinking cola
increases the risk of getting osteoporosis in later life.
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Cola Drinks are Bad for Your Bones
By WLR Dietitian
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Forget about filling up on diet cola if you want to keep your
bones healthy. New research from America has confirmed that
regularly drinking cola – including diet varieties – is bad for
women’s bones and may increase the risk of osteoporosis in later
life.
The researchers measured bone mineral density – a test
that helps to determine the strength of bones – in the spine and
hip of more than 2,500 men and women. They discovered that those
women who drank cola regularly – regardless of whether they
opted for regular or diet versions – had a significantly lower
bone mineral density in their hip compared to those who didn’t
drink cola drinks.
The researchers believe the high levels of phosphoric acid in
cola may be to blame. “A diet low in calcium and high in
phosphorus may promote bone loss, tipping the balance of bone
remodelling towards calcium loss from the bone,” says Dr
Katherine Tucker, who led the research.
She suggests more
research needs to be carried out to confirm whether people who
consume large quantities of cola may be damaging their bones by
consuming large amounts of phosphoric acid in a form that
contains no calcium.
WLR says:
As part of the normal ageing process, bones lose calcium more
quickly than it can be replaced, leading to a reduction in bone
density. As a result, the bones gradually lose their strength
and become more brittle.
Osteoporosis – a condition that affects
half of all women and a fifth of all men over the age of 50 in
the UK – occurs when the bones become so weak they fracture
easily.
To prevent osteoporosis, it’s important to do everything
we can to slow down the loss of calcium from our bones so they
stay as strong as possible. And it would seem that cutting down
on cola drinks is an easy step we can take to achieve this.
Swapping regular cola for diet varieties is usually one of
the first things most of us do when we want to lose a few
pounds. However, this research confirms what most health experts
have known for years – that all cola drinks have the potential
to damage bones.
Indeed, the National Osteoporosis Society
recommends cutting down on fizzy drinks to keep bones strong,
not just because phosphoric acid has the potential to weaken
bones but also because too much caffeine affects the balance of
calcium in the body.
Meanwhile, dentists have known for a long
time that swapping regular cola for diet versions don’t
necessarily benefit teeth, because they still contain acid,
which can damage tooth enamel.
If you can’t bear the thought of giving up the fizz and find
that it helps to fill you up, opt for sparkling water with a
squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice. Alternatively, add a dash
of sugar-free squash or a little unsweetened fruit juice. For more information on keeping bones healthy and
preventing osteoporosis through diet, visit the National Osteoporosis Society
at
www.nos.org.uk |
