Nezam El-Tayebat Fact CheckA scientific assessment of the “نظام الطيبات” nutrition system
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Unclear / insufficient evidence Certainty of evidence: low provisional C-SOD-08

Phosphoric acid in cola drains the bones; women who drink cola daily (sugary or diet) have 3.7% lower hip bone density.

Conclusion: Cola is associated with lower hip bone density in women, but the phosphoric-acid explanation is not proven.
  1. Original statement
  2. Scientific assessment
  3. In plain language
  4. Studies on this claim
  5. Regional context
  6. What applies in my country?
  7. References

Original statement

حمض فوسفوريك يستنزف العظام ... في دراسة عظام فرامنغهام عام 2006، النساء اللواتي يشربن كولا يومياً (سكرية أو دايت) كانت كثافة عنق عظم الفخذ لديهن أقل بنسبة 3.7%، رغم تعديل النتائج للعمر والكالسيوم وفيتامين د.

verbatim according to source. Translation by the project; the Arabic wording is authoritative.

Translation

Phosphoric acid in cola drains the bones; women who drink cola daily (sugary or diet) have 3.7% lower hip bone density.

Origin

Source status
Archive editors
Attribution
Archive editors (study selection and narrative are the archive's, not necessarily Elawady's)
Origin
https://eltayebat.com/rule/soda/
Attribution uncertainty
The archive homepage states that the forbidden-food section is supported by research 'independently of Dr. Diaa's words'. No evidence was found that Elawady himself cited these studies.
Claimed mechanism

Phosphoric acid lowers calcium-phosphorus ratio; displacement of milk.

Claimed health effect

Lower bone mineral density, osteoporosis.

Population concerned

Older women

Geographic restriction by Elawady

none found

Scientific assessment

Unclear / insufficient evidence – The data do not allow an assessment either way.

Certainty of evidence: low – Further research is likely to change the assessment considerably.

1. What was claimed?

Cola's phosphoric acid causes bone loss.

2. What is demonstrably correct?

Tucker 2006 (A-SOD-03) found 3.7% lower femoral-neck BMD in women drinking cola daily vs <1/month; similar for diet cola. Ahn 2021 (I-SOD-07) reported an inverse association between SSB intake and BMD in adults.

3. What is wrong or exaggerated?

The association was found in women only, at hip sites but not the spine, and not for non-cola carbonated drinks. Total phosphorus intake was not higher in daily cola drinkers, so the phosphoric-acid mechanism is not demonstrated. The design is cross-sectional; authors called for confirmation. Displacement of milk and confounding are alternative explanations.

4. What remains unclear?

Whether cola causes fractures.

5. Which studies support it?

A-SOD-03, I-SOD-07.

6. Which studies contradict it?

A-SOD-03 itself (no association in men or for non-cola drinks).

7. What applies to Germany and Europe?

No EU regulatory concern about phosphoric acid at authorised levels was reviewed here.

8. What is known about Egypt?

No Egypt-specific data.

9. What practical conclusion is appropriate?

Not drinking cola daily is reasonable; the specific bone mechanism is unproven.

Assessment details

Rationale for certainty of evidence

Cross-sectional association in women only (not men, not spine); a 2021 meta-analysis of mainly observational studies found inverse associations between SSB/carbonated beverages and BMD, but causality and the specific role of phosphoric acid are not established.

Source quality

Numbers correct; 'drains bone' is a causal mechanism not shown by the study.

Regional transferability

Moderate.

Individual exceptions

Not applicable.

Regional scope of the claim
general (biological/medical)
Last reviewed
25 October 2026 provisional

In plain language

Women who drank cola daily had slightly lower hip bone density in one US study, but men did not, and other fizzy drinks showed no link. A later review found that people drinking more sugary drinks tend to have lower bone density, but these studies cannot show cause. Whether phosphoric acid itself is responsible is not known.

Studies on this claim

Studies supporting the claim (1)

  • Sugary drinks and bone density: meta-analysis

    Ahn H, Park YK. Nutr J 2021 · PMID 33952276 · DOI 10.1186/s12937-021-00698-1
    Meta-analysisindependent cross-checkabstract only checked

    Higher sugary and fizzy drink intake was linked with lower bone density in adults.

    Does the study support the specific claim? Partly · Methodological quality: moderate · Certainty of evidence: see overall assessment of the claim

    Original publication · Scientific details

    Study explained simply
    What did the researchers want to find out?

    Is SSB consumption associated with bone health?

    How was the study done?

    Systematic review and meta-analysis (mainly observational).

    How many people, animals or samples were studied?

    26 publications; 124,691 participants (meta-analysis n=4,312); Children and adults

    What was actually found?

    Adults: ES -0.66 (-1.01 to -0.31); carbonated beverages ES -0.73 (-1.12 to -0.35); 18 of 20 qualitative studies supportive.

    How large was the observed effect?

    ES -0.66

    What do the results mean in everyday life?

    Association only.

    What are the study's limitations?

    Observational; Small meta-analysed sample; Large SMDs suggest heterogeneity

    What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?

    Supports direction of C-SOD-08 (not mechanism).

    Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?

    Moderate.

    What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?

    That phosphoric acid causes bone loss.

    Scientific details →

Studies contradicting or limiting the claim (0)

No studies in this group.

Studies with mixed or unclear results (1)

  • Cola and bone density in older women

    Tucker KL et al.. Am J Clin Nutr 2006 · PMID 17023723 · DOI 10.1093/ajcn/84.4.936
    Cross-sectional studycited by the Tayebat archiveabstract only checked★ key study

    Women drinking cola daily had 3.7% lower hip bone density; other fizzy drinks showed no link.

    Does the study support the specific claim? Partly · Methodological quality: moderate · Certainty of evidence: see overall assessment of the claim

    Original publication · Scientific details

    Study explained simply
    What did the researchers want to find out?

    Is cola consumption associated with lower BMD?

    How was the study done?

    Cross-sectional analysis of BMD (DXA) by FFQ soft-drink frequency, Framingham Osteoporosis Study.

    How many people, animals or samples were studied?

    1,413 women; 1,125 men; Older women and men

    What was actually found?

    Women: cola associated with lower BMD at each hip site (P<0.001-0.05) but not spine; daily intake 3.7% lower femoral neck and 5.4% lower Ward's area BMD; similar for diet cola; no association in men or for non-cola carbonated beverages; phosphorus intake not significantly higher in daily cola drinkers.

    How large was the observed effect?

    -3.7% femoral neck BMD (daily vs <1/month)

    What do the results mean in everyday life?

    Possible small effect on bone in women; not shown for other fizzy drinks.

    What are the study's limitations?

    Cross-sectional; Effect only in women and at hip; Mechanism not demonstrated (phosphorus intake similar); Self-reported intake

    What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?

    Main evidence for C-SOD-08; also limits C-SOD-14 (no association for non-cola carbonated drinks).

    Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?

    Moderate.

    What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?

    That phosphoric acid causes bone loss or fractures.

    Scientific details →

Regional context

Germany / EU

No EU regulatory concern about phosphoric acid at authorised levels was reviewed here.

Egypt

No Egypt-specific data.

What applies in my country?

General scientific assessment

Unclear / insufficient evidence Cola is associated with lower hip bone density in women, but the phosphoric-acid explanation is not proven.

The following areas of food safety are relevant to this statement:

  • Additives and processing
  • Controls, imports, recalls, labelling

Honey, sugar, sweets

Choose a country to see the checked information for it.

Limits: legal rules describe what is allowed, not what every single food contains. Measurement data come from samples and are meaningful only together with their method details.

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References

  1. Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and bone health: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Ahn H, Park YK. Nutr J 2021 · PMID 33952276 · DOI 10.1186/s12937-021-00698-1
  2. Colas, but not other carbonated beverages, are associated with low bone mineral density in older women: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study.. Tucker KL et al.. Am J Clin Nutr 2006 · PMID 17023723 · DOI 10.1093/ajcn/84.4.936

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