Soda consumption and Teenagers -Our Teenagers are in Danger Nutritionally!

Teenagers who drink a lot of soda have now been documented As being more prone to bone fractures and osteoporosis than those who do not drink much soda.

A questionnaire was given to 460 girls in the 9th and 10th grades, asking them about their diet and exercise habits, along with any History of fractures. The study's results showed that girls who drank soft drinks were more than THREE TIMES MORE LIKELY to have a bone fracture. And physically active girls who drank Cola were nearly FIVE TIMES MORE LIKELY to have had a bone fracture.

Studies have linked mineral loss before to Cola consumption, but finally someone thought to check out teenager's consumption and how it might affect them.

Between 40% to 60% of peak bone mass is built during the teenage years. Consumption of soft drinks affects both boys and girls. The acidic nature of the phosphoric acid in the drink causes the body to pull calcium out of the bones to buffer the acid.

Many teenagers are very active in sports. Note how much more likely drinkers of the soft drinks were likely to have a bone fracture? Thirty to fifty percent!! Is your teenager in sports and drinking soft drinks? Colas? I offer Nutritional work ups and mineral assays, using hair analysis. Teenagers I see in my practice today, more than ever before, are not eating many fruits and vegetables. These are needed to provide the minerals to build strong bones. To add to this the consumption of soft drinks and these teenagers are setting themselves up for conditions such as osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a disease in which the bones have become more porous and therefore more fragile and prone to breaking. It is thought to be a problem for older people, however this study shows that teenagers may be the newest group to suffer.

How does your teenager score in soft drink consumption? How does (s)he score in eating plenty of green vegetables? Or other food choices such as yogurt, small amounts of cheese, Beans, Salmon and other things with high calcium/mineral content? And how much water is (s)he drinking? Your teenager may not like water after drinking all the flavored and sugared drinks. However water consumption is vitally important for health and electrical conductivity of the body. As a health practitioner, I suggest one quart of water for every 50 pounds of weight. So if your teenager weighs one hundred pounds, (s)he would need to drink two quarts of water a day. As an added incentive, tell them it will help clear up many bad skin problems.

Educate yourself and your teenager about the use of soft drinks and the consequences. Remember, Prevention is the best measure! Help them to understand the importance of eating their fruits and vegetables and drinking purified water.

Jeannie Crabtree C.Ac. has worked with both people and pet's 
nutrition for the last 20 years. As a Health Practitioner she shares secrets about what to do about health challenges today. Solutions, Tips, Research, Nutrition and products discussed in the Newsletter
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