Carbonated Drinks & Back Pain

Back pain is an incredibly difficult problem. The back is supposed to support our weight and make us feel strong. We feel weak when we have back pain, be it persistent or otherwise. There are many things that contribute to back pain. Consumption of soda drinks appears to be one of them.

How Does Soda Lead to Back Pain?

• One of the main reasons for back pain is a weakening in the bones of the back. Bones get weaker as you get older because the calcium in your bones starts to disappear. Supple City reports that most sodas will strip your bones of calcium in three ways: the caffeine will reduce the calcium in your bones; the phosphoric acid will reduce the calcium in your bones; and drinking soda replaces a much healthier alternative drink you could have consumed.

Caffeine Reduces Calcium

• Caffeine is the most common chemical in carbonated drinks. Though there are caffeine-free sodas such as 7-Up, Sprite and root beers, most other sodas have caffeine. It is the chemical that gives you that burst of energy after drinking a soda or a coffee. However, caffeine may be a major cause of calcium loss in your bones. WebMD reports that "(a)nother possible culprit (in calcium leaching from the bones) is caffeine, which experts have long known can interfere with calcium absorption." Drinking too much caffeine will strip your bones of calcium and make them weaker, leading to whole body pain, including back pain.

Phosphoric Acid Reduces Calcium

• Another common ingredient in most sodas is phosphoric acid. Phosphorous is the element that phosphoric acid comes from. It is actually an important mineral in most bones. However, WebMD reports that "if you're getting a disproportionate amount of phosphorus compared to the amount of calcium you're getting, that could lead to bone loss." Calcium is the primary chemical necessary to keep your bones strong. If phosphorous almost entirely replaces calcium in your diet, your bones will suffer, as will your body and back.

Soda Replaces Healthier Alternative

• Another huge problem with soda consumption is that it replaces a healthier alternative drink. For every soda you drink, you are avoiding milk, juices and water. All three of these drinks provide calcium to your bones. Drinking soda denies your body the chance to get calcium from healthy drinks, and then strips your bones of the calcium they do have. Sodas also lead to major weight gain, which can be another major cause for back pain. The average 8-ounce soda has about 150 calories. The average glass of milk has 100, the average glass of juice 120, and the average glass of water has no calories. That extra 50 calories in soda may not seem like much, but all three of the other drinks offer something nutritious and important to your body. The soda is empty calories.

Persistent Calcium Loss

• Many people think that if they simply drink a healthy drink for each soda they drink in a day, that it will help counteract the negative effects of the soda they drink. This is wrong. WebMD discusses a report made from Tufts University: "Researchers...found that women who regularly drank cola-based sodas--three or more a day--had almost 4% lower bone mineral density in the hip, even though researchers controlled for calcium and vitamin D intake." What this means is that even though the women were given the calcium and vitamin D they needed for their bones, the soda was still stripping their body of calcium.