Phosphorus is an incredibly important mineral for humans to take - especially women. The human body needs calcium and phosphorus to come in at a 1:1 ratio to handle it well.

Luckily, nature tends to provide calcium and phosphorus together because it understands this. Unluckily, many humans take calcium pills thinking they are "all set" without understanding the balance involved.

In nature, you get phosphorus from these sources:

* milk
* cheese
* wheat germ
* sardines

The USRDA for phosphorus is 1,000mg a day, matching up with 1,000mg a day for calcium.

Here's an interesting problem! Some junk food - like sodas - have high levels of phosphorus. Because nature needs the 1:1 ratio, taking in phosphorus without calcium will actually LEECH CALCIUM FROM YOUR BONES to get it to pair up. This is just one of the dangers of eating junk food! In nature, it comes in pairs. In soda, you just get random chemicals.

So for every 8oz (small!!) glass of Coke you drink, you get 41mg of phosphorus and no calcium. Add that up ... and you're losing calcium each time you drink. Also let's not forget that caffeine has a diuretic effect and blocks calcium absorption. There's a reason I'm against soda drinking!

NOTE: I received an email from a visitor who feels that it is not actually the soda drinking that removes calcium from your bones, but the fact that you are drinking soda instead of drinking calcium-rich beverages. On one hand maybe that's true - but on the other hand, most adults I know do not drink milk. In many cultures milk is a "for children" beverage and not something that adults are meant to drink. Many adults become lactose intolerant in part because of this normal biological evolution.

Whether or not the soda actively pulls the calcium out of your bones in your particular metabolic situation or whether the drinking of soda acts as a "filler" when you could have been drinking something more healthy may still be up for scientists to figure out. In the meantime I really suggest you drink water, wine, or any other "providing good" liquid rather than drinking a chemical brew (i.e. soda) which could only be hurting your body. I don't think anybody has come out with a study saying that drinking soda is GOOD for you!