Dear Curious,

At this time, research on the relationship between soda consumption and osteoporosis have been inconclusive; however, soda, which contains phosphorus, may possibly accelerate and increase calcium excretion, which is something you may want to think about i f you drink a lot of it. Read Diet soda vs. water for a workout: And the winner is....for more information. Many other factors, however, can lead to osteoporosis, including smoking, alcohol, low physical activity, genetics, race , cessation of menstruation, eating disorders, and low calcium intake.

Now to your concern about soda and kidney failure: Although kidney failure can be caused by autoimmune and heredity diseases, among many other causes, soda does not appear to be one of them. In fact, diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure in the United States. This is due to the deterioration of small blood vessels brought on by the prolonged high level of glucose in the blood. The first signal of kidney failure in diabetics is an excessive amount of protein in the urine. To help prevent kidney disease from worsening and thus avert kidney failure, monitor and control your blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and watch what you eat. In particular, limit your intake of salt and protein.

Alice

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