FIZZZY DRINKS, PHOSPHATE & PREMATURE AGEING

FIZZZY DRINKS, PHOSPHATE & PREMATURE AGEING

Drinking too much fizzy drinks can accelerate ageing from research that found that phosphate, a chemical that gives many drinks their tangy taste,

This study was in mice that were genetically engineered to age prematurely. Although animal studies can provide information on how biological processes work, these findings may or may not be relevant to the human body. It is a big leap from these findings to the suggestion that fizzy drinks containing phosphates could cause premature ageing.

This research was carried out by Mutsuko Ohnishi and M Shawkat Razzaque from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, USA, and Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Japan. The study was published in the scientific journal Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB).

While animal studies can provide information on how biological processes work, these findings in mice, which were genetically engineered to prematurely age, may or may not be relevant to the human body. It is a big leap from these findings to the suggestions that fizzy drinks containing phosphates can cause premature ageing.

The effect of excess phosphate on health is important enough to justify further research. However, it is unclear whether the levels of phosphate in fizzy drinks are enough to affect health. At present, the high sugar and calorie content of these drinks would seem to be a more compelling reason for limiting their intake.

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Written by Dr Martin Harris, Doctor and Mohel for Jewish Circumcision Clinic in London Bris Mila Brit Milah.
www.circumcisionlondon.co.uk

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Contact Dr Martin Harris