Is Sparking Water Bad for my Bones?

I’ve been asked by a few folks lately if carbonated water impacts bone health. I took to the research studies to find the answer. It turns out that most of the studies on carbonated water and osteoporosis were published between 2004 and 2008 (which doesn't sound like that long ago, but it’s almost 20years!). A 2008 study was done in postmenopausal women and found that consuming 1L of carbonated water daily for 8 weeks does NOT impact bone remodelling. There is a 2021 study done on adolescents, that found teens who consumed more carbonated DRINKS had lower bone mineral density. The same study found that teens who consumed instant noodles more than three times weekly had a lower bone mineral density compared to those who consumed them less than twice weekly. 

Earlier studies confirm that carbonated DRINKS, specifically cola, have a negative effect on bone mineral density.

Ok, so if you’re a teenager and you’re drinking a lot of carbonated beverages and eating instant noodles regularly, your baseline nutrition is probably not very good. There may be many reasons for this including socio-economic status, education and more. The adolescent study is still relevant, because we gain most of our bone mineral density in our teens and early twenties. We can slow the rate at which our bone mineral density declines by doing things like engaging in weight bearing physical activity, ensuring we have optimal vitamin D3 levels and more. 

So what does all this mean for the average person enjoying a bubbly water here and there? It means you should probably continue enjoying your bubbly water here and there. If you’ve got an intense cola habit, you might want to consider reducing your consumption of cola or diet cola.  It also means that if you’ve got teenagers, you may consider their overall diet rather than stressing about the occasional cola here and there (are they drinking things other than pop? Are they exercising? Getting calcium? Eating vegetables?). 

Do I think my opinion on this conversation could change? Absolutely. I’m always open to changing my opinion based on available data. 

References:

Adolescents PMID 34200352

Postmenopausal: PMID 15877873

Cola: PMID 17023723