If you drink a lot of soda at the expense of calcium-rich beverages, you certainly could be at risk for bone loss or weakness. The soda itself is not to blame. It's not the carbonation or the caffeine – it's filling up on one thing and not getting enough of another.
But there's something else in soda that may be harming your bones. It's a chemical in cola called phosphoric acid.
In a large study, women who drank three or more cola-based sodas a day had significantly lower bone mineral density than women who drank the same amount of non-cola soft drinks.
Phosphoric acid causes the blood to be more acidic. Calcium and magnesium in the blood help neutralize the acid. If there are not enough of these minerals in your blood, your body takes them from your bones.
There are plenty of other reasons to stop drinking soda. Their empty calories fill you up so you're not hungry for real food. And they have way more sugar than any of us need. Eliminate a daily can of soda from your diet for a whole year and you could lose up to 15 pounds!
What about artificially sweetened sodas? Phosphorus in cola is still an issue. And even though most sweeteners have undergone testing, I still advise against ingesting large quantities of them.
What's your best bet when you feel thirsty? Plain, unadulterated water.
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