More About Bones
Connect the Dots: Teenage Bone Loss, Soft Drinks, Hip Fractures, Acid Blocking Drugs, Hypertension, Vitamin D Deficiency and Lead Toxicity
Noel Peterson, N.D.
Do Soft Drinks Cause Calcium Loss in Kids?
Yes! Most researchers agree that we are now seeing osteoporosis develop in childhood. Adolescent diets are notoriously full of empty calories and low in essential minerals and calcium. We know that low calcium can cause muscle spasms, hyperactivity, nervousness, irritability, insomnia, seizures, subnormal intelligence and cardiovascular disorders, just to name a few. But did you know that drinking colas and other sweet and caffeinated beverages causes bone loss? A recent case-controled study published in the Journal of Pediatrics (Vol. 126:940-942. 1995) found that intake of 1.5 liters a week of soft drinks containing phosphoric acid caused low blood levels of calcium. Children who drank cola beverages were 4 times as likely to have muscle cramps and 10 times as likely to have suffered a seizure in the last month. All cola drinks and many other soft drinks contain phosphoric acid.
Other studies have shown that beverages containing sugar and caffeine but no phosphoric acid are also causing significant calcium loss in our children. L.K. Massey studied eighteen adolescents aged 13-18, who on four separate mornings drank a caffeine and sugar free soft drink with 0 and 30 mg caffeine added and 0 and 30 grams of sugar added. Caffeine increased total three-hour urinary calcium loss by 25% (without sugar) and75% (with sugar). Sodium, chloride and potassium loss were also increased by caffeine. The study showed that the combined effect of sugar and caffeine almost doubled calcium loss in these adolescents!
Do Acid Blocking Drugs increase the risk of hip fractures?
Yes, according to Drs. YX Yang, JD Lewis, and DC Metz at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. They recently studied the connection between the use of acid blocking drugs commonly used in acid reflux and hip fractures and reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association that use of PPI's (proton pump inhibitors) for one year or more increased the risk of hip fractures by 44% to 265%. Why? Several mechanisms are possible, but the two most likely are that acid blocking drugs inhibit calcium absorption and that they may exhibit a direct inhibition on bone forming cells called osteoblasts. Either way, acid blocking drugs are largely avoidable through changes in diet and the use of safe alternative remedies.
Is there a connection between High Blood Pressure, Bone Loss, Brain Fog and Lead?
Yes! Researchers in Britain and the United States recently examined over 3700 elderly women, measuring their baseline blood pressure and their current bone mass density. After a follow-up period averaging 3.5 years, researchers again measured bone mass in the women and compared it to the initial blood pressure readings.
Women with highest baseline blood pressure readings showed the greatest subsequent decline in bone mass density, independent of age, weight, hormone replacement, and other factors. "High blood pressure is associated with abnormalities in calcium metabolism," the researchers noted. This sustained calcium loss may lead to greater bone mineral loss over time and may increase the likelihood of future hip fractures.
Other studies have linked lead to bone loss and hypertension. As women lose bone mass, they also lose the lead that has been stored in their bones throughout their life. Mobilized lead damages the kidneys, causing hypertension. There may also be a lead connection to the infamous “brain fog” of menopause.
Vitamin D- Majority of Americans are Running on Empty
More studies point to the surprising widespread incidence of vitamin D deficiency. As many as 78% of the 290 adults studied during admission to Massachusetts General Hospital have insufficient levels of the bone-building vitamin--and what's more--46% of those who said they took a vitamin supplement regularly were also deficient in vitamin D. Recent recommendations suggest that the RDA for vitamin D should be increased by 10-fold.
Do You Know Your Bones?
If you are interested in finding out if you or your child are experiencing bone loss, there are several test options available at the Center. First, we can check vitamin D status with a simple blood test. Second, the NTx test (n-teliopeptide) can be performed. This test requires a urine sample and measures the urinary level of a bone protein that is elevated when a person is experiencing bone loss and is the best way to monitor whether a person is gaining or losing bone mass. Third, I often refer women 40 and older for a DEXA-scan to establish current bone density. With a bone DEXA scan to detect current bone status, and the NTx test to monitor your bone metabolism and guide treatment, osteoporosis can be prevented and in most cases reversed without drugs. Whatever you do, don't let osteoporosis or vitamin D deficiency go undetected.
Yang YX, Lewis JD, Epstein S, Metz DC
JAMA. 2006;296:2947-2953
Massey, l.k. Acute effects of dietary caffeine and sucrose on urinary mineral excretion in healthy adolescents. Nutr. Res 8(9): 1988
Cappuccio FP, Meilahn E, Zmuda JM, Cauley JA. A prospective study of blood pressure and bone mineral loss in elderly white women: the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (#3455). Circulation 1998;98(17 Suppl):I657.
New England Journal of Medicine(1998;338:777-83)
For a recent discussion of the advantages of bone resorption testing, read:
British Medical Journal 1999:318:862-65.
Full text online at http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/318/7187/862