Cola: Bad to the Bone!

Here is another reason to swap your coke for water/herbal tea/fresh juice etc – reasearch from Boston’s Framingham Osteoperosis Study has found that women who drink cola on a daily basis had an average 5% reduction in bone mass density. This 5% reduction is enough of a difference to mean that a break or fracture is much more likely than not.

Let’s face it, the body works to very tight boundaries. If our blood pH drops below 6.8 or rises above 7.8, we die! If our body temperature rises by just 5 degrees we are almost certain to die and at 7 degrees hotter death is a certainty.

So a 5% reduction in bone mineral density is serious stuff. In fact, Dr Inderjeeth, a specialist from the Osteoperosis Foundation has highlighted that this reduction is actually much much worse than the reduction in bone mineral desity that women experience during the menopause:

“A 5 per cent reduction in bone density is significant in the context where it can reduce a person from having a bone density that can be strong enough to withstand a fall or minor trauma to a situation where you have a patient who can fracture with minimal trauma,”

So why is this? Well apparently, it is related to the levels of phosphoric acid contained within cola drinks (which is often not in other fizzy drinks – but that doesnt make them a viable alternative) – as this leaches calcium away from the bones (in order to balance the acid/alkaline levels in the body).

The study was conducted on 2,500 men and women and found that the risk was proportional to the amount of cola that people drink, with the critical point being at roughly one cola drink per day.

You know I am all for everything in moderation – but to be truly healthy this is surely one of those things that should be thought of as a treat rather than a staple!