(REUTERS) 10 October 2006:

Women who want to keep their bones strong may want to keep their cola consumption to a minimum, a new study suggests.

In a study of more than 2,500 adults, Dr. Katherine L. Tucker of Tufts University in Boston and colleagues found that women who consumed cola daily had lower bone mineral density (BMD) in their hips than those who drank less than one serving of cola a month.

“Because BMD is strongly linked with fracture risk, and because cola is a popular beverage, this is of considerable public health importance,” the authors write in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The greater their intake, the thinner the bones, and the relationship was seen for diet, regular, and non-caffeinated colas.

Cola consumption had no effect on BMD in men.