Cola Consumption Associated with Increased Risk of Bone Fractures and Osteoporosis
In response to my hypothesis about drinking diet soda and gaining weight, a dietician (who just happens to be a high school classmate who I haven’t heard from in 25 years who contacted me via Facebook recently) let me know that consuming colas in particular, is also associated with increased risk of bone fracture and osteoporosis.
The study was done at Tufts University and I have reprinted the findings below.
So in addition to catching up with a prior high school classmate, I’ve just learned that my 2 Cokes per week splurge is not only bad for me because of the high fructose corn syrup, but it also can increase the risk of my getting osteoporosis. Hmm, maybe it really is time to just get more sleep.
Tufts University study’s findings:
“Colas, but not other carbonated beverages, are associated with low bone mineral density in older women: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study1,2,3″
by Katherine L Tucker, Kyoko Morita, Ning Qiao, Marian T Hannan, L Adrienne Cupples and Douglas P Kiel. Received for publication September 23, 2005. Accepted for publication June 12, 2006.
“Osteoporosis and related fractures represent major public health problems. With the aging of the population, the health care burden from fractures is expected to increase dramatically during the next few decades. The lifetime risk of fracture exceeds 40% for women and 13% for men, and hip fractures have been associated with an excess mortality of up to 20% (1, 2). Most survivors require costly long-term nursing home care (2). It is, therefore, of great importance to identify modifiable risk factors for osteoporosis. Increasingly, numerous dietary behaviors and components have been identified as important contributors to the risk of loss of bone mineral density (BMD) with aging (3). Soft drink consumption has increased rapidly in the general population in recent years. This behavior has been found to be associated with low BMD and fractures in adolescent girls (4-6), although some suggest that such associations may be due to displacement of milk consumption more than to any direct effect of soft drink components (7). Few studies have examined these associations in adults.
In addition to the displacement of more nutrient-dense beverages, there are several reasons to hypothesize that carbonated soft drinks, and colas in particular, may be associated with lower BMD. Caffeine is an ingredient in most colas and has been identified as a risk factor for osteoporosis (8-10). Furthermore, colas contain phosphoric acid, which was shown to interfere with calcium absorption and to contribute to imbalances that lead to additional loss of calcium (11). It has also been suggested that the high fructose corn syrup used to sweeten carbonated beverages may negatively affect bone (12).”
Combat Osteoporosis with Calcium and Magnesium
The risk of osteoporosis factors in when you are female and older. Nutritional supplements can help you avoid osteoporosis, no matter what risk factors you may have.
Calcium and Magnesium work together and if you add in exercise you’ll build bone even better.
Supplements need to be taken throughout your lifetime. Women who are in postmenopausal and do not take calcium supplements lose approximately 2% of bone mass per year. Taking 1,000 to 1,600 mg of calcium supplement a day decreases this rate to 1%, and reduces bone fractures by 50%!
Unless magnesium is also present in your body, you may be simply excreting the calcium supplement you are taking. Magnesium plays as much a role in bone density as calcium. Magnesium will act as a bonding agent that binds calcium, fluorine and other important minerals to build bone. Take a daily maximum amount of magnesium, at least 350 – 400 mg a day is suggested for healthy bones.
Do something about osteoporosis before it dose something to you. Drugs for osteoporosis are not miracles. These drugs have harmful side effects and limited benefits. The best medicine for this potentially crippling condition is prevention by taking supplements.
Tristen Thomas
Soft drinks are just really bad for you, all around. They do nothing at all for your body, except destroy your health.
Bone health is best “maintained”, not restored. Calcium and Magnesium are important, but the body needs these minerals in as close to equal parts as possible.
Since most people get MUCH more calcium than magnesuim from the foods they eat, taking higher doses of magnesium is strongly advised.
I take 1,500 mg of magnesium every night, (along with my melatonin) and I sleep like a baby.
However….EXERCISE is the best RX for bone health. Weight bearing exercise builds bone, not calcium. And dairy leaches the calcium from your bones; it does not “build strong bodies”. Avoid dairy!
ALSO…. hormonal imbalance can also weaken bone health. Bioidentical hormones are essential past the age of 40… They are not just for menopause, people! Balance, balance, balance. That’s how you stay young and healthy.
And I should know….
)
Given that you look so young and healthy on your blog, you certainly must be on to something!