Dietary Calcium and Osteoporosis

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Dietary Calcium and OsteoporosisIn order to absorb calcium, the body needs comparable amountsof another *mineral* element, magnesium. Milk and dairy productscontain only small amounts of magnesium.Without the presence of *magnesium*, the body only absorbs 25percent of the available dairy calcium content.The remainder of the calcium spells trouble.Without *magnesium*, *excess* calcium is utilized by the body in*injurious* ways. The body uses calcium to build the mortar onarterial walls which becomes atherosclerotic plaques.Excess calcium is converted by the kidneys into painful stones whichgrow in size like pearls in oysters, blocking our urinary tracts.Excess calcium contributes to arthritis; painful calcium buildupoftenis manifested as gout.The USDA has formulated a chart of recommended daily intakes ofvitamins and minerals. The term that FDA uses is Recommended DailyAllowance (RDA). The RDA for calcium is 1000 mg.The RDA for magnesium is 750 mg.Society stresses the importance of calcium, but rarelymagnesium.Yet, *magnesium* is vital to "enzymatic" activity.In addition to insuring proper *absorption* of calcium, magnesium iscritical to proper neural and muscular function and to maintainingproper *pH* balance* in the body.Magnesium, along with vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), helps to dissolvecalcium phosphate stones which often accumulate from 'excesses' ofdairyintake.Good sources of magnesium include green beans and other beans, greenleafy vegetables likekale and collards, organic whole grains and fresh squeezed orangejuice.Non-dairy sources of calcium include green leafy vegetables,almonds,asparagus, broccoli,cabbage, oats and oat bran, beans, parsley, sesame seeds and organic tofu.Osteoporosis is NOT a problem that should be associated withlack of calcium *intake*.Osteoporosis results from calcium *loss*.The massive amounts of protein, phosphoric acid and arachidonicacids that are found in milk result in a *50 percent* *loss* ofcalcium in the *urine*.In other words, by doubling your milk intake there will be a *loss*of1-1.5 percent in *skeletal* *mass* per year in menopausal women.The calcium contained in leafy green vegetables is more *easily**absorbed* than the calcium in milk.If a postmenopausal woman loses 1-1.5 percent bone mass per year,whatwill be the effect after 20 years?When osteoporosis occurs levels of calcium *excreted* from the*bones* into the blood are high.Milk only adds to these high levels of calcium which is *excreted*or used by the body to add to damaging atherosclerosis, gout, kidneystones, etc.WHO GETS BONE DISEASE?Why do nations with the highest rates of bone disease also have thehighest milk consumption rates?The highest rates of osteoporosis are to be found in Denmark,Holland,Norway, and Sweden.We are told to consume 1000 milligrams per day of calcium. InuitEskimos consume 3500 milligrams of calcium each day, and by age 40 are crippled.THE KEY TO OSTEOPOROSISIt's not how much calcium you eat. It's how much calcium you preventfrom leaving your bones.WHY DOES CALCIUM LEAVE BONES?There are 28 amino acids in nature. The human body can manufacture19 ofthem. The other nine are called "essential." We must get them fromthe foods we eat.One of those "essential" aminos is methionine--One needs methionine for many human metabolic functions includingdigestion, detoxification of heavy metals, and muscle metabolism.However, an excess of methionine can be toxic.Methionine = C-5, H-11, NO, SMethionine is a good source for sulfur.That's the problem. Eat foods containing too much methionine, andyourblood will become acidic. The sulfur converts to sulfates and weak formsof sulphuric acid.In order to neutralize the acid, in its wisdom, the body leechescalcium from bones."Dietary protein increases production of acid in the blood which canbe neutralized by calcium mobilized from the skeleton."American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1995; 61 (4)Animal proteins (dairy,red meat) contain more methionine than plantproteins. Let's compare cow's milk to non-gmo soymilk:Methionine in 100 grams of soymilk: .040 gramsMethionine in 100 grams of whole milk: .083 gramsMethionine in 100 grams of skim milk: .099 gramsNow, let's compare 100 gram portions of non-gmo tofu to meat: (Allofthe meat products are lean and without skin)Silken soft tofu: .074 gramsHamburger: .282 gramsRoast ham: .535 gramsSwiss cheese .784 gramsRoast chicken: .801 gramsIn 1988, N.A. Breslau and colleagues identified the relationshipbetweenprotein-rich diets and calcium metabolism, noting that proteincausedcalcium loss. His work was published in the Journal of ClinicalEndocrinology (1988;66:140-6).A 1994 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition(Remer T, Am J Clin Nutr 1994;59:1356-61)found that animal protein causes calcium to be 'leached' from thebonesand excreted in the urine.MORE SUPORTING EVIDENCE:"Osteoporosis is caused by a number of things, one of the mostimportantbeing too much protein."Science 1986;233(4763)----"Even when eating 1,400 mg of calcium daily, one can lose up to 4%ofhis or her bone mass each year while consuming a high-protein diet."American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1979;32(4)----------------------------"Increasingone's protein intake by 100% may cause calcium loss todouble."Journal of Nutrition, 1981; 111 (3)--"The average man in the US eats 175% more protein than therecommendeddaily allowance and the average woman eats 144% more."Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health, 1988--"Consumption of dairy products, particularly at age 20 years, wereassociated with an increased risk of hip fractures... metabolism ofdietary protein causes increased urinary excretion of calcium."American Journal of Epidemiology 1994;139---Canit get worse? Absolutely.The Framingham Heart Study is the largest and most exciting heartstudyin the history of mankind. Some of the highlights of this exhaustive50year study:In 1960, Cigarette smoking was found to increase the risk of heartdisease.In 1970, high blood pressure was found to increase the risk ofstroke.During the 1980's, high levels of HDL cholesterol were found toreducerisk of death from heart disease.In the 1990's, homocysteines were identified as key factors in heartattack deaths.*Homocysteines* are normal breakdown products of "methionine" andarebelieved to exert a number of toxic effects in the body. I recentlyspoke with the senior investigator of the Framinham heart study,WilliamCastelli, M.D. (E-mail: willi-) Dr. Castelli hassuggested that an elevated homocysteine level is a risk factor forheartdisease. The first evidence of this was published in the AmercianJournal of Cardiology (Glueck, 1995;75:132­6).Two recent publications resulting from Framingham data indicate apositive correlation betweencardiovascular disease mortality and bloodserum levels of *homocysteine*.Bostom AG, et. al, Nonfasting plasma total homocysteine levels andall-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in elderly Framinghammenand women. Arch Intern Med 1999; 159:1077-1080.Bostom A.G., et. al, Nonfasting plasma total homocysteine levels andstroke incidence in elderly persons: the Framingham Study. AnnInternMed 131[5], 352-355, 1999.--Robert Cohen author of: MILK - The Deadly Poison(201-871-5871)Executive Director (not-)Dairy Education Boardhttp://www.notmilk.com---