A study, published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that women who drink four or more cola beverages per week have a higher risk of developing the bone disease osteoporosis. The researchers used dietary questionnaires from more than 2,500 people who were part of an osteoporosis study in the US.
Regular cola consumption was linked to lower bone mineral density in all women studied, regardless of other factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and calcium intake. Low bone mineral density increases the risk of osteoporosis, a debilitating condition also known as brittle bone disease.
The results were similar for regular, diet and decaffeinated colas. "The more cola women drank, the lower their bone mineral density," said Katherine Tucker from Tufts University, the lead researcher. Interestingly, men appeared to be unaffected, despite drinking slightly more cola per week on average. This does not mean that it is safe for men to consume these fizzy drinks however, because they also lead to overweight and obesity and contribute to development of diabetes.
Initial thinking about the particular link between cola beverages and damage to bone density focussed on an
ingredient called phosphoric acid. This is because physiologically, a diet low in calcium and high in
phosphorus may increase bone loss. Also, it is not generally present in non-cola beverages and other fizzy drinks that were not cola-based did not appear to affect bone density.
However, some studies have shown that the amount of phosphoric acid in cola is negligible compared to other dietary sources such as chicken or cheese. This suggests that further research is necessary to help understand the process but in any case, it is important for women to avoid cola-based drinks to preserve their bone and for men and women to avoid fizzy drinks for wider health reasons.
Unfortunately, cola drinks Coca-Cola and Pepsi remain two of the biggest-selling soft drink brands in the world. Since cola made up more than 70 per cent of fizzy drinks consumed by those taking part in the recent osteoporosis study there is cause for concern since osteoporosis is quite a nasty disease and results in high expense in later stages.
Consumption of carbonated soft drinks rose by 300 per cent in the US alone between 1960 and 1990. No wonder there is such a high price to pay. I wonder how much of that price the cola manufacturers should be required to contribute?
[...] Women who drink four or more cola beverages per week have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis, according to a study published in the October 2006 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (10) [...]