Osteoporosis - Can It Happen To You?

Osteoporosis is one of those diseases which comes on slowly - actually years before we realize that it is happening. As you know I have a real problem with the amount of carbonated beverages we consume in this country. It's not just the sugar, sugar substitutes that are the problem. One of the major problems with carbonated beverages is that they leach calcium out our bones, so the matrix becomes weakened - osteoporosis. When bones become fragile they are more likely to break and more difficult to heal. We tend to think of this as a disease of the elderly because that is when we actually see it.

But the truth is that the disease starts when we are in our teens, twenties and thirties. Did you know that you have your peak bone mass at age 35? It's all down hill from there. So you need to work at keeping your bones strong. But also think about your children. What are you letting them drink? I believe we are going to see way more osteoporosis in the coming years as the baby boomers age. Partly due to the fact that we had no idea what carbonated beverages were doing to our bones when we were young.

What you can do, no matter what age you are is cut out all carbonated beverages. Do weight bearing exercise - walking is a good one.