Drinking Soda May Accelerate Aging

New research suggests that drinking sodas and eating processed foods, both of which contain high levels of phosphates, may accelerate the aging process. M. Shawkat Razzaque, M.D., Ph.D., of the Department of Oral Medicine, Infection and Immunity at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and Mutsuko Ohnishi, of the Department of Pathology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Japan, studied the effects of high phosphate concentration in three groups of mice.

The first group was missing klotho, a gene that, when absent, causes mice to have toxic amounts of phosphate in their bodies. Those mice lived for eight to 15 weeks.

The second group was missing the klotho gene, as well as a gene called NaPi2a, which, when absent at the same time, substantially lowered the amount of phosphate in their bodies. Those mice lived to 20 weeks.

The third group, like the second group, was missing both the klotho and NaPi2a genes but was also fed a high-phosphate diet. Like the mice in the first group, all of the mice in the third group died by 15 weeks, thus suggesting that phosphate has toxic effects in mice and raising the possibility that it may have a similar effect on humans. Further investigation revealed that high amounts of phosphates accelerate signs of aging and may increase the prevalence and severity of age-related complications, such as chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular calcification. They may also induce severe muscle and skin atrophy.

“Humans need a healthy diet, and keeping the balance of phosphate in the diet may be important for a healthy life and longevity,” said Dr. Razzaque. “Avoid phosphate toxicity, and enjoy a healthy life.”

—Dr. Bob Goldman
www.WorldHealth.net

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