Does Drinking Pop Take Calcium Out Of Your Bones?

Fruit drinks and soft drinks are basically sweetened beverages with other ingredients such as carbonated water and fruit juices or flavorings. Americans’ consumption of such beverages grew 135 percent between 1977 and 2001, according to a study published in the October 2004 “American Journal of Preventive Medicine.” Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 2005 and 2006 indicate 5.3 million Americans over the age of 50 have osteoporosis of the hip. There may be a connection between soft drink consumption and osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become weak and brittle. Bone in the human body undergoes a constant process of being broken down and rebuilt. This bone remodeling or bone turnover causes increased bone mass up to the age of about 30, because more bone is being made than broken down. As you age, and especially for women after menopause, bone loss speeds up and you can develop osteoporosis.

Soft Drinks and Calcium Excretion

Soft drinks may be related to an increase in urinary calcium excretion. Researchers reported in the September 2001 “The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” on a study of women age 20 to 40 who drank at least 680 mL of carbonated beverages each day. Caffeinated soft drinks caused urine calcium excretion to rise. There was no change in calcium excretion for the other soft drinks tested, even though some contained phosphoric acid, which may also affect bone. The researchers noted that even though the caffeine caused increased calcium excretion, the effect of carbonated soft drinks on calcium was very small.

Colas and Calcium

A similar study in the October 2006 issue of "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” looked at the effect of cola consumption on older women. The study measured bone mineral density in 1,413 women and 1,125 men. Cola intake was found to result in decreased bone mineral density at the hip – but not the spine – for the women in the study. There was no effect on men, and no change in bone mineral density in women who drank soft drinks other than colas.

Adolescents

Adolescent girls may be at greater risk of lower bone mineral density if they drink a lot of carbonated soft drinks. In a study reported in the September 2003 “Journal of Bone and Mineral Research,” girls between the ages of 12 and 15 had decreased bone mineral density in the heel. The decrease in bone mineral density occurred whether the girls drank sugar-sweetened, cola or diet soft drinks. Boys in the study had no change in bone mineral density.

Considerations and Warnings

If you are female, drinking cola soft drinks may decrease your bone mineral density. Whether this occurs because soft drinks displace calcium-containing beverages and foods or because of some direct effect on bone is unclear at this time.