Milk, Cola and the strength of your Bones

Well, I guess I'm going to have to give up my Cocktail of Choice - rum and diet cola :(
I just came across a very interesting article in the L.A. Times about a study linking cola consumption to weaker bones.  If you want stronger bones, eat foods high in calcium and vitamin D, such as milk and you might want to cut out cola completely.

In the past few decades, consumption of cola has steadily displaced the consumption of others —particularly milk.  Studies have shown, consistently that soda consumption is linked with weaker bones. Now scientists are trying to figure out how and why, precisely, drinking soda may affect skeletons.

One theory is that a component in cola, Phosphoric acid that gives cola it's tangy flavor, and which is not naturally found in the food chain, may cause bone to deteriorate. Another is that people who drink soda simply drink (and eat) fewer nutritious foods.

I think most of us know that if we consume more calcium and vitamin D, it's definitely healthier for our bones.  But what I found so interesting in this study is that cola consumption can deteriorate bone. This study published by Tucker and colleagues in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2006, shows women enrolled in the ongoing Framingham Osteoporosis Study who drank just three or more colas a week had a 3.7% to 5.4% lower bone mineral density in their hip bones when compared with women who didn't drink cola.

Did you know that as much as 90% of bone mass is acquired in youth, particularly from age 16 to 25, according to Dr. Jeri Nieves, director of bone density testing at Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw, N.Y.  Which makes it so important for our children to consume plenty of calcium and vitamin D.

A study published in the Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine in 2000 showed , teenage girls who drank carbonated beverages were three times as likely to suffer bone fractures compared with girls who didn't drink soda.  Even stronger for girls who drank cola beverages, who were five times as likely to suffer bone fractures.  Children who don't get enough calcium and not enough exercise end up with increased risk of osteoporosis and fracture as they get older.

We need to somehow, replace soda consumption with an alternative, such as milk, for our youth; for their health, strength and longevity in life.  Flavored milk is such a tasty, nutritious, healthful replacement.  If only schools would replace all or most all soda sales from their school systems with milk, flavored and regular, it would be so much healthier for our children. And I really think the kids would go for the flavored milk.  I know I would have if I had been given the choice.....strawberry is my favorite.

Click HERE to read the article in it's entirety.