Are teenage girls drinking too much soft drink and what are the health implications
...ilk which ultimately affects their calcium intake. A can of coke contains 48mg of phosphorous per 375ml. Other Soft drinks contain negligible amounts of phosphorous. Phosphorous increases the release of the hormone Paraphyroid. A Consistently high phosphorous diet and a low calcium diet will result in an elevated concentration of this hormone. A constantly high level of this hormone in the blood results in increased bone turnover which ultimately results in a reduction of bone mass and density . Individuals who have a low calcium to phosphorus ratio, will benefit from increasing their calcium intake though diet or supplement. This is important to adolescent girls as a high level of the hormone contributes to limited bone mineralisation during growth. In the long term resulting in a loss of bone mass in adulthood. The main issue with coke is that it contains phosphorus and no calcium. Milk in comparison contains a high level of both, approximately 250mg of phosphorus per glass. The recommended daily intake of calcium for adolescent girls is 800mg with phosphorus being 1000mg. It is important to keep these two nutrients balanced. Many teenage girls have low intake of calcium, if they drink too much coke this may result in high levels of this hormone being secreted. However, it is improbable that this would occur as a result exclusively of drinking too much coke. Grace Wyshak, PhD, also believes the phosphoric acid in colas may interfere with the body’s ability to use calcium . It is this inability to use calcium that can lead to serious bone diseases such as osteoporosis, a bone condition characterized by a decrease in mass, resulting in bones that are more porous and more easily fractured than normal bones. As well as osteomalacia, which causes soft, deformed and misshapen bones due to insufficient vitamin D and phosphorous intake . Soft drink contains high levels of sugar. This is detrimental to adolescent girl’s health as high amounts of sugar combined with the microscopic bacteria that live in the mouth cause cavities . Another problem with the sugar in soft drink is that it has been linked to obesity. Soft drink provides empty calories, which in a time where children are becoming increasingly inactive, are not used and stored as fat. Soft drinks containing caffeine can also cause mood changes and physical dependence. The survey conducted clearly shows that a percentage of adolescent girls are drinking soft drink in place of milk and not consuming their daily calcium requirements. It is due to this high phosphorous low calcium diet that adolescent females are risking not only their short term health such as the condition of their teeth, but their long-term health. Their long-term health can be adversely affected through the weakening of bones and bone conditions such as osteoporosis. In order to prevent these complications a balance bet...