Cola Drinking Linked to Lower Bone Density in Women's Hips

FRIDAY, Oct. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Women who drink cola daily have a lower bone density in the hip than women who do not drink colas, researchers report in the October issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The association was not seen in men, or in women who consumed other types of carbonated beverages.

Katherine L. Tucker, Ph.D., of Tufts University in Boston, and colleagues compared diet, bone mineral density and other factors in 1,413 female and 1,125 male Framingham Osteoporosis Study participants. Menopause and estrogen intake data were gathered on the women.

The researchers found cola consumption linked to significantly diminished bone density in three areas of women's hips, but not spines. No such drop was found in men. Mean bone density in female daily cola drinkers was 5.4 percent lower at Ward's area and 3.7 percent lower at the femoral neck than in women drinking less than one cola monthly.

The data on diet cola was similar; decaffeinated cola had milder effects. Non-cola carbonated drinks did not yield the same results. The ratio of calcium to phosphorus was lower in daily than monthly cola drinkers.

"Intake of cola, but not of other carbonated soft drinks, is associated with low bone mineral density in women," the authors write.

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