Carbonated Beverage Destroy Teeth and Bones

Why Sodas Are So Bad for your Teeth and Bones
By Hans Schleicher, DDS

Turn around that soda can and take a look at the label on the side of any can whether it be diet or regular. You will see that one of the main ingredients is phosphoric acid!  This is the main ingredient that gives the soda that pop and fizz that makes them so attractive to drink, but these acids not only de-mineralize our teeth, they steal calcium from our bones. We have an epidemic of osteoporosis in our country and current  studies appear to  implicate our ever increasing consumption of soda pop as a contributor to that unfortunate negative health trend.

Now the question you ask is how exactly does drinking soda beverages suck calcium out of our bone. 

OK -  here is the simplified version - Once the phosphoric acid is absorbed into your bloodstream, your kidneys have to eliminate it from your system. The molecular structure of phosphoric acid has a negative ion in it, and in order to neutralize and break down that molecule and in turn eliminate it in your urine, the kidney has to grab a positive ion or element from your body to get rid of it. Well it turns out that the easiest positive ion your kidneys have access to happens to be a calcium ion that is located where?  – in your bones.

So for every molecule of phosphoric acid ingested, you get to lose a molecule of calcium from your bones. It is not too cool when you consider that teenage girls who regularly drink carbonated soda beverages experience three times more bone fractures than those who do not drink soda according to a survey compiled by Harvard Medical School and reported in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

Recent studies of soda consumption have shown that teenage boys who drink soft drinks consume an average of three 12-ounce cans and girls an average of two 12-ounce cans per day.

Third and worst of all are the various acids that gives soda its fizz. Depending on the brand, soda pop may contain carbonic, phosphoric, malic, citric and tartaric acids.  Our bloodstream needs a very special balance of calcium to phosphorus. If the phosphorus in our blood rises due to even a single can of soda, our bodies have to quickly find some calcium from our bones to make up the balance.  Keep in mind that even diet sodas have these harmful chemicals. Some health food stores have soda drinks without the harmful chemicals and low quality sweeteners.  However, even these should not be consumed on a daily basis.

You should alter your thinking and start thinking of soda as a “party food,” which is only to be used for special occasions. It should NEVER become part of your daily consumption.  Don’t drink sodas at mealtime, because then it starts to become a habit.  The fast food industry have conditioned our kids to think that drinking a soda at mealtime with being “happy.”

After reading all of this, when you think about it now, there is really nothing better than fresh milk, water or natural juices when it comes to your bones and teeth.

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