Cola may lead to brittle bones, osteoporosis link
Cola-based sodas taken as refreshment or for their caffeine ‘hit’ may harm bones and could eventually become a catalyst for osteoporosis, researchers from Tufts Univerity in the US say.
The risk could be because people who drink colas are less likely to get enough calcium and vitamin D in their diets, because they drink soda rather than more nutritious beverages, such as milk or calcium-fortified juice.
Another possibility is that caffeine is at the root of the weakened bone health. The researchers cited earlier reports linking caffeine to a higher risk of osteoporosis. A third possibility, they say, is that the phosphoric acid found in colas causes an imbalance in the body as the body seeks to neutralise the acid with calcium, and when there isn’t enough calcium in the diet, the body takes calcium from the bones, weakening them.
In general, low levels of calcium are associated with the development of osteoporosis, a disease that thins and brittles the bones so much that they can fracture.
The researchers added that they only found the association in women, and no association between cola drinking and lower bone mass was detected in men they tested.
Results of the study were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
