Soda: It does a body good.

I mean milk, milk does a body good.

So we all know how healthy soda is for us, right?  Yet for some reason, despite our knowledge of the consequences of sugary drinks, we continue to consume it.  The journal entry I am posting about this week discusses lack of calcium in children because they are drinking less milk and more soda-type beverages.  The Journal of the American Medical Association published a journal article on this issue in 2004.

The article is presented with the title “Experts Urge Early Investment in Bone Health.”  The issue being covered by author Tracy Hampton (a PhD in the area of genetics from Stanford University) is a lack of calcium in children resulting in fractures and osteoporosis.  She notes, “about 10 million individuals in the United States have been diagnosed as having osteoporosis.” (Hampton, 2004).  These high numbers have been linked to children not consuming enough calcium in their youth, as approximately 90% of bone mass is developed during childhood.  These individuals do not accumulate enough bone mass for their bones to be healthy, and fractures occur.  Hampton draws attention to the fact that children need to pay more attention to their bones. 

Supplements are being given to children with low bone mass who are at risk for fractures and osteoporosis.  One supplement trial Hampton mentions is that of a group of seven-year-old children who were given “300 mg/d of calcium for 18 months and gained 17.9% more bone mineral content than those in the control group… but the effect was balanced out a year after the supplementation was stopped.” (Hampton, 2004).  Though the supplements did work for a while, the bone mass of children receiving them reverted back to that of other calcium-deprived children in their age group.  This shows that calcium needs to continue to be consumed in order for bone mass in children to develop fully.  The best source of calcium, according to the article, is milk.  However, milk consumption in children is decreasing as soft drinks are becoming more available and more convenient. 

So how will this issue be solved?  The article does not address that point.  It does show the importance of calcium consumption in youth to develop bone mass and prevent future fractures as well as osteoporosis, but it does not offer a solution to the issue.  I personally would like to see milk more readily and easily available in schools again.  The schools could even offer lunches that were rich in calcium.  Supplements can also be continuously taken during developmental stages of bone to increase mass (as the article shows).  No matter how this issue is solved, it is one of importance.  The only solution I fear for this problem is soft drink companies adding calcium to their products and appealing even more to children.  Calcium should be consumed naturally, not as a supplementary ingredient in soda. 

Source:

Journal of the American Medical Association, 2004. Experts Urge Early Investment in Bone Health. doi:10.1001/jama.291.7.811.

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=198214