Soft drinks are indeed very attractive. Its sweet and fresh taste makes them often consumed by most people. However, many studies showed that consuming too much soft drinks can cause negative effects to your body, mainly due to their high sugar content.

In the previous article, it was mentioned that excessive consumption of soft drinks is associated with a high risk of diabetes, heart-related diseases, and cancer. Not only that, in a recent study conducted by the University of California San Diego published in the Menopause journal, it was found that excessive consumption of soft drinks may lead to higher risk of hip fractures, especially in post-menopausal women.

In their study, researchers analysed the data of 72,342 post-menopausal women recorded in the Women's Health Initiative. The researchers collected data such as medical history, while also used questionnaires to find out about the lifestyle and diet of each participant. The questionnaire also has questions about soft drink intake. The analysis was done for more than 11.9 years.

As a result, the researchers found that those who consumed at least 14 servings of soft drinks per week had 26% higher risk of hip fractures compared to those who did not consume soft drinks at all. In addition, researchers found no relationship between soft drink intake and bone mineral density. The researchers believe that the high sugar content in soft drinks is a major factor that can cause changes in calcium balance and bone mineral haemostasis.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from iStockphoto

Source(s):

• Kremer, P.A., Laughlin, G.A., Shadyab, A.H., et al (2019). Association between soft drink consumption and osteoporotic fractures among postmenopausal women. Menopause, 25 (11): 1234-1241.
• Medical News Today - Do Soft drinks affect women’s bone health? (2019). https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327159.php, 2 December 2019.