Association between Soft Drink Consumption and Bone Mineral Density among Qatari Women- Analysis of Qatar Biobank data

Background: Decrease in bone mineral density (BMD) increases the risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis. It is common in older women, as the BMD tends to decrease with age, particularly after menopause. While age and hormonal changes are well-established risk factors, other factors have been investigated for possible links to increase the risk of osteoporosis. These factors include dietary patterns and lifestyle. Aim: To explore the association between soft drink consumption and BMD. Method: This cross-sectional study included data from 1000 Qatari women age ≥ 40 year’s participated in the Qatar Biobank Study. BMD levels were measured using the Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scan and the soft drink consumption was assessed using a food frequency questionnaires. Multiple quantile regression models were used to assess the association between bone mineral density and soft drink consumption. Results: While most of the participants did not drink soft drinks (68%), around one third reported consuming soft drinks. A total of 16.4% of participants reported consuming soft drinks < 1 time/ week and 15.6% of participants reported consuming soft drinks ≥ 1 time/ week. There was an inverse association between BMD and soft drink consumption. Compared with non-consumers, ≥ 1 time/week consumption of soft drink had a -0.034 95%CI (-0.056, -0.012) at 0.25 quantile for BMD after adjusting for age, BMI, menopausal status, smoking status, physical activities, milk intake, and fruit and vegetable consumption. Also, BMD was negatively associated with regular soft drinks, but not with diet soft drink and energy drink. Conclusion: High consumption of soft drink is inversely related to BMD among Qatari women. Further longitudinal and clinical studies are required before developing public health intervention to improve bone health by reducing soft drink consumption.