Limit those fizzy drinks

Love your fizzy drink? Think again. A growing body of research suggests a link between sugary soda consumption and diabetes, hypertension, liver disease and some types of cancer.
 
Now, research has shown that cola-type sodas are bad for your bone health, too, and can cause you to develop osteoporosis.

Researchers at Tufts University in the US studied several thousand men and women and found that women who regularly drank cola-based sodas - three or more a day - had almost 4% lower bone mineral density in the hip. 

It has to do with phosphate, in the form of phosphoric acid, that is added to many fizzy drinks to improve the flavour. 

Phosphorus is an important bone mineral, but if you are getting a disproportionate amount of phosphorus compared to the amount of calcium, it causes the body to use more calcium to balance mineral levels. The lack of calcium, in turn, leads to bone loss. 

The take-home message: read the labels on your fizzy drinks and limit your intake. Drink a glass of milk instead!

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