A preliminary report of the short-term effect of carbonated beverage consumption on calcium metabolism in normal women

Osteoporosis is a reduction of calcium in the bones of postmenopausal women as a result of decreased sex hormone secretion. The condition causes frailty of the skeleton, increasing the risks of vertebral and other bone fractures. Recently it has become clear that the accumulation of healthy bone mass before the onset of menopause is important in the prevention of osteoporosis. Calcium-deficient diets and excessive alcohol consumption are among the factors that can decrease the reserve of bone mass in women. The short-term effect of nonalcoholic carbonated beverages was investigated in a group of women who received either a standard diet or an experimental diet high in the amount of nonalcoholic carbonated beverages. The two diets were otherwise similar in levels of calcium, phosphorous, vitamins and certain hormones. The women were healthy premenopausal women within 10 percent of ideal body weight, with normal menstruation cycles, and who were not taking any medication known to affect calcium metabolism. A total of eight women finished the study, which showed no demonstrable difference in calcium metabolism and bone measurements as a result of greater ingestion of carbonated nonalcoholic drinks during this short-term experiment. Because of the length of study, the small number of participants and the relatively small increase in carbonated beverage consumption, the validity of this study and the possible adverse effect of consumption of carbonated beverages by women remain in doubt.