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Man's incredible cough broke his body's strongest bone [1]

['Allan Rose Hill']

Date: 2024-06-05  

The thigh bone, or femur, is recognized as the longest, heaviest, and strongest bone in the human body. Usually, it takes a horrific car accident, sports injury, or brutal fall to break that bone. Recently though, a 35-year-old man fractured it with the force of his cough.

In China's Fujian Province, Dong Zhong, director of the Department of Orthopedics, determined that the patient had indeed cracked his femur during a coughing fit. Given how unlikely that would be, Zhong and colleagues conducted further testing on the man. According to the physician's report, Zhong had dangerously fragile bones as a result of his penchant for soda pop. It wasn't just that he was gulping down too much sugary liquid.

According to Oddity Central, Zhong explained "that cola-based drinks contain phosphoric acid which combines with the calcium in normal food intake to form calcium phosphate after entering the body. The latter is harder to assimilate by the human body, so drinking such beverages frequently for long periods of time can have devastating consequences on bone density."

Previously:

• Study finds that people 'cough on purpose during classical concerts'

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