Some people, Wyshak points out, have suggested that another mineral, called phosphorus, is also found in soft drinks and may eat away calcium from the bones. Whatever the reason, Burton sees the study as a wakeup call for pediatricians, family practitioners, and parents. Robert Bruce, MD, who, like Burton, was not associated with Wyshak's study, tells WebMD that the numbers from Wyshak's survey are astounding. Bruce is an assistant professor and chief of pediatric orthopaedic surgery at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Parents can do a lot to ensure their teens get the proper amount of calcium, and they can limit the number of soft drinks they consume.
Parents can make also make sure their children are starting to develop proper nutritional habits.
Wyshak says she hopes someone will expand on her research, as she sees this as a major public health problem with long-term consequences. These young girls may easily be the old women with osteoporosis, if her findings pan out. For more information about osteoporosis , visit WebMD's disease and condition center. If the teens were physically active, the risk jumped to five times as likely. Teen girls reportedly only consume two-thirds of the daily requirement of calcium, which is crucial for healthy bones.