Is Soda bad for your bones?

I've heard that carbonated drinks may harm your bones by taking calcium out and leaving them weak and brittle. So I looked around a little to see if it was true or not. And here's what I came up with.

3 reasons to think before you drink:

1. There’s research that links drinking certain types of soda with weaker bones—but carbonation doesn’t seem to be the problem.

2. Nutrition experts once believed caffeine could be the culprit. In a 2001 study out of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, people lost measurable amounts of calcium after drinking caffeinated sodas. Drinking decaffeinated sodas didn’t appear to have the same effect. As it turned out, though, people tended to make up for the losses by excreting less calcium later in the day.

3. But another study, reported in 2006 by researchers at Tufts University in Boston, suggests that colas, specifically, might be problematic. Among the 1,413 women whose dietary records and bone-density scans they reviewed, those who drank a diet or regular cola at least three times a week over five years had significantly lower bone densities than those who sipped cola once a month or less. No such effect occurred with other carbonated drinks, even after researchers factored in intake of calcium from foods. The likely cause? Phosphoric acid, which is unique to colas. When the body breaks down phosphoric acid, the acidity of the blood increases. To neutralize acidity, hydrogen ions bind with minerals, including calcium and magnesium. If they’re not available in the blood the body will take calcium from your bones.

My conclusion: Soda's not really for me. It looks like the carbonation is probably okay buy why chance it. Other than the occasional rootbeer float I think I'll stick to water.