the invention relates to an aqueous beverage for bone health and prevention or treating osteoporosis , to processes therefor and a composition of powdered ingredients for preparing an aqueous beverage . the reaction of acidic compositions , hereinafter referred to as the “ acid factor ,” with bicarbonate or carbonate - containing compositions , hereinafter referred to as the “ carbonate factor ,” in an aqueous environment , such as a solution , to produce or release carbon dioxide is well known in the art and will hereinafter be referred to as an “ effervescent reaction .” products that undergo the effervescent reaction upon use normally comprise a dry , solid mixture of an acid factor and a carbonate factor , the mixture being hereinafter referred to as an “ effervescent composition .” the acid factor and the carbonate factor in the effervescent compositions are normally dry solids and are water soluble , at least in the presence of each other . additionally , the acid and carbonate factors utilized must be compatible with their intended use , i . e ., they must be physiologically acceptable . an effervescent composition of calcium carbonate , glycine phosphate and glycine citrate provides an aqueous beverage for bone health and preventing or treating osteoporosis upon adding the effervescent composition to a proper amount of water . the effervescent composition causes an effervescent reaction when added to water . upon completion of the effervescent reaction , the aqueous beverage contains completely solubilized and bioavailable calcium phosphate , calcium citrate and glycine . optionally , the effervescent composition can include zinc carbonate . upon completion of the effervescent reaction , the aqueous beverage also contains completely solubilized and bioavailable zinc citrate . the calcium component of the present invention is derived from calcium carbonate . the phosphorus moiety comes from glycine phosphate ( phosphoglycine ). optionally , zinc is obtained from zinc carbonate . glycine citrate ( citroglycine ) is added not only as a critical reactant but also to aid complete solubilization of calcium carbonate , calcium citrate , zinc carbonate and zinc citrate . calcium citrate and optionally , zinc citrate are reaction products , along with calcium phosphate ( hydroxyapatite ), glycine , carbon dioxide and water . the inclusion of zinc carbonate as a reactant or zinc citrate as a reaction product in the aqueous solution of this invention is not needed to enhance solubility of calcium carbonate or enhance bioavailability or stability of the solubilized hydroxyapatite ( calcium phosphate ). the mineral zinc imparts its own therapeutic properties . the use of zinc is therefore optional . stoichiometric ratios of the effervescent composition of calcium carbonate , glycine citrate and glycine phosphate and optionally zinc carbonate , are added to a proper amount of water , such as 20 fluid ounces of water at room temperature in a suitable stainless steel or glass vessel with moderate mechanical stirring . water can be tap water or it can be purified , deionized , carbonated or distilled . more preferably , reverse osmosis purified water is used . the effervescent reaction begins which lasts for 30 - 60 minutes . mixing at moderate speed is maintained and can be stopped anytime during this time period . more preferably , mixing is maintained for 45 minutes . stoichiometric ratios of the reactants are calculated to provide 500 mg of elemental calcium , 350 mg of elemental phosphorus and 7 . 5 mg of elemental zinc , when present , in each 20 fluid ounces of the aqueous solution of the present invention . next , sweetener ( s ), acidulents ( s ) and other nutritional and / or herbal ingredients , when used are added . mixing is continued at moderate speed for 15 - 30 minutes , more preferably for 20 minutes . flavor ( s ) are then added and mixing at moderate speed is continued preferably for 10 minutes . the aqueous solution of the present invention containing completely solubilized and bioavailable hydroxyapatite ( calcium phosphate ) and optionally zinc citrate preferably provides 50 % of the recommended daily intake ( rdi ) of calcium , 35 % of phosphorus and optionally 50 % of zinc in each 20 fluid ounce serving . two servings supply 100 % of the rdi of calcium , 70 % of phosphorus and 100 % of zinc . serving size can be reduced or increased . serving sizes of 12 fluid ounces and up to 24 fluid ounces are common and acceptable . the preferred serving size of the present invention is 20 fluid ounces . recommended daily intake of calcium and phosphorus and optionally zinc can be reduced by up to 50 % or increased by up to 50 % for the preferred serving size . reducing the rdi would require more servings to be consumed per day . however , consumers may be averse to drinking more than two 20 fluid ounce servings daily . not consuming the full servings would leave consumers deficient in the essential bone building minerals and thus negate the advantage inherent in the aqueous beverage of the present invention . increasing the rdi of these minerals in the preferred serving size renders the aqueous beverage less palatable and thus less acceptable . the aqueous solution of the present invention containing 50 % rdi of calcium , 35 % rdi of phosphorus and optionally 50 % rdi of zinc in each 20 fluid ounce serving and after addition of other ingredients and further treatment as described above can be packaged in larger volume containers for ease of handling and cost savings . containers of half gallon and one gallon size may be appropriate , bearing labels specifying directions for use as necessary . the present invention also provides for combining stoichiometric ratios of zinc carbonate and glycine citrate and adding to a proper amount of water , such as 16 fluid ounces of water . the aqueous solution resulting from the effervescent reaction , contains completely solubilized zinc citrate and glycine . stoichiometric ratios are calculated to provide 100 % of the rdi of zinc which is 15 mg . serving size may vary between 12 and 20 fluid ounces . preferred serving size is 16 fluid ounces . to this aqueous solution are added flavor ( s ), sweetener ( s ) and acidulent ( s ). other ingredients that may be added , methods of processing and packaging are same as above . the aqueous beverage containing completely solubilized hydroxyapatite ( calcium phospate ), optionally zinc citrate and other ingredients can be sterilized . sterilization can be accomplished by the incorporation of preservatives / antimicrobial agents or heat . more preferably , sterilization is accomplished by heating . heating can be accomplished in a heat exchanger or jacketed steam kettles . more preferably , heat exchanger is used to provide for faster and continuous processing . the aqueous solution is heated to between 140 ° f . and 200 ° f . more preferably to 195 ° f . and maintained at this temperature for 20 - 60 seconds , but more preferably for 30 seconds . the aqueous beverage is allowed to cool to 186 ° f . and bottled at this temperature . the ph of the aqueous beverage is in the range of 2 . 8 and 4 . 8 . prior to heating , the aqueous beverage of the present invention can be carbonated . more preferably , the aqueous beverage is maintained in the still , non - carbonated form . when preservatives / antimicrobial agents are used , the heating step is by - passed . preservatives / antimicrobial agents are added along with flavor ( s ), sweetener ( s ), acidulent ( s ) and other ingredients and the process continued as described above . the aqueous beverage of the present invention containing completely solubilized and bioavailable hydroxyapatite ( calcium phosphate ) and optionally zinc citrate in flavored , sweetened , palatable form can be packaged in tightly capped polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ) or glass bottles or jugs but more preferably in pet bottles / jugs . the caps ( lids ) have tamper - evident rings that detach when bottles / jugs are opened . pet bottles / jugs can be clear or tinted . processed and packaged by the methods of the present invention , the aqueous beverage of the present invention containing completely solubilized and bioavailable hydroxyapatite ( calcium phosphate ), and optionally zinc citrate and other ingredients has been found to be stable with no change in taste , appearance , chemical or physical properties after two years . in an alternate embodiment , the effervescent composition of the present invention can be used in powder form . in this embodiment , the ingredients used in the effervescent composition of calcium carbonate , glycine phosphate ( phosphoglycine ), glycine citrate ( citroglycine ), and optionally zinc citrate in their stoichiometric ratios , flavor ( s ), sweetener ( s ), acidulents ( s ) and other ingredients are mixed together and packaged in sachets for reconstitution . the stoichiometric ratios will yield the same rdi of each mineral as if they were to be used in water . the contents of the sachets are added to a predetermined amount of water , such as 20 fluid ounces of commercially available aqueous beverages . the aqueous beverages used for reconstitution of the sachet contents include , but are not limited to seven - up ®, seltzer waters , sprite ®, plain bottled water and ice tea . the sachet contents can be added to less than 20 fluid ounces or more than 20 fluid ounces of the reconstitution beverage . adding to less than 20 fluid ounces appreciably altered the taste and flavor which were not acceptable . adding to more than 20 fluid ounces was acceptable but required that the entire volume be consumed in one day to derive the intended bone health benefit . the preferred volume of the reconstitution beverage is 20 fluid ounces . after the sachet contents are added to a container of the aqueous beverage , the container can be closed and shaken lightly for 30 seconds . within a minute , the cap can be removed to allow escape of the evolved carbon dioxide gas . the resulting beverage now also contains completely solubilized and bioavailable hydroxyapatite ( calcium phosphate ) and optionally zinc and is ready for consumption as such or after refrigeration . the effervescent composition of the present invention can also be combined with commercially available powdered drink mixes prior to their reconstitution in water . the powdered drink mixes utilized for combining with the effervescent composition of the present invention include , but are not limited to , kool - aid ®, crystal light ®, ice tea to - go ® and green tea to - go ®, following the reconstitution directions on the packages of these powdered drink mixes . in both cases above of reconstitution of the sachet contents of the present invention in commercial aqueous beverages or combining with other commercially available powdered drink mixes , the flavor ( s ), sweetener ( s ) and acidulents ( s ) concentrations in the sachet contents may need to be changed . more preferably , the amounts of these additives may need to be reduced as commercially available aqueous beverages and powdered drink mixes may already contain these additives in adequate amounts . a laboratory study was conducted to compare the relative affects of the aqueous beverage of this invention and calcium carbonate powder on bone development in young , growing rats . ten male weanling sprague - dawley derived albino rats weighing 70 - 80 g were used in each group . all animals were fed the same basal diet . control group received calcium from calcium carbonate powder incorporated in the diet . drinking water was provided ad - libitum . test group was provided the aqueous beverage of this invention containing completely solubilized hydroxyapatite ( calcium phosphate ) and calculated to contain the same amount of elemental calcium as the control group . the calculated volume was lower than the volume of drinking water consumed by the control group . the difference was made up by mixing drinking water with it . food consumption , volume of drinking water , volume of the aqueous beverage of this invention and animal weights were recorded daily . at the end of 30 days the animals were sacrificed and both femurs from each animal were removed for evaluation . results show that bone mineral density , tensile strength , femur ash , femur calcium and phosphorus were all much higher for the test group compared to the control . bone density and bone strength numbers were 2 . 5 - 3 times greater for test group than the control . on day 30 , the individual mean body weight gain for the test group was almost 15 % lower . it is to be understood that the above - described embodiments are illustrative of only a few of the many possible specific embodiments , which can represent applications of the principles of the invention . numerous and varied other arrangements can be readily devised in accordance with these principles by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .
glycine phosphate and glycine citrate are used in solubilizing carbonate salts of calcium and optionally zinc in water . stoichiometric proportions of these ingredients when added to water cause an effervescent reaction that results in an aqueous solution containing completely solubilized and bioavailable calcium phosphate , calcium hydrogen citrate , glycine and optionally , zinc citrate . the aqueous solution of this invention , after addition of suitable flavor , sweetener , acidulent , other nutritional and / or herbal ingredients can be added to the aqueous solvent . the resultant solvent provides a clear aqueous beverage including completely absorbable bone minerals for maintaining bone density and strength and to prevent osteoporosis . the beverage of the present invention can be used as a substitute for plain bottled water , sodas , and the like , and as a substitute for people who are allergic to milk .