Guest guest Posted January 28, 2004 Report Share Posted January 28, 2004 Dietary Calcium and Osteoporosis In order to absorb calcium, the body needs comparable amounts of another *mineral* element, magnesium. Milk and dairy products contain only small amounts of magnesium. Without the presence of *magnesium*, the body only absorbs 25 percent 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 on arterial walls which becomes atherosclerotic plaques. Excess calcium is converted by the kidneys into painful stones which grow in size like pearls in oysters, blocking our urinary tracts. Excess calcium contributes to arthritis; painful calcium buildup oftenis manifested as gout. The USDA has formulated a chart of recommended daily intakes of vitamins and minerals. The term that FDA uses is Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). The RDA for calcium is 1000 mg. The RDA for magnesium is 750 mg. Society stresses the importance of calcium, but rarely magnesium.Yet, *magnesium* is vital to " enzymatic " activity. In addition to insuring proper *absorption* of calcium, magnesium is critical to proper neural and muscular function and to maintaining proper *pH* balance* in the body. Magnesium, along with vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), helps to dissolve calcium phosphate stones which often accumulate from 'excesses' of dairyintake. Good sources of magnesium include green beans and other beans, green leafy vegetables like kale and collards, organic whole grains and fresh squeezed orange juice. 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 with lack of calcium *intake*. Osteoporosis results from calcium *loss*. The massive amounts of protein, phosphoric acid and arachidonic acids that are found in milk result in a *50 percent* *loss* of calcium 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, kidney stones, etc. WHO GETS BONE DISEASE? Why do nations with the highest rates of bone disease also have the highest 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. Inuit Eskimos consume 3500 milligrams of calcium each day, and by age 40 are crippled. THE KEY TO OSTEOPOROSIS It's not how much calcium you eat. It's how much calcium you prevent from leaving your bones. WHY DOES CALCIUM LEAVE BONES? There are 28 amino acids in nature. The human body can manufacture 19 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 including digestion, detoxification of heavy metals, and muscle metabolism. However, an excess of methionine can be toxic. Methionine = C-5, H-11, NO, S Methionine is a good source for sulfur. That's the problem. Eat foods containing too much methionine, and yourblood will become acidic. The sulfur converts to sulfates and weak formsof sulphuric acid. In order to neutralize the acid, in its wisdom, the body leeches calcium from bones. " Dietary protein increases production of acid in the blood which can be neutralized by calcium mobilized from the skeleton. " American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1995; 61 (4) Animal proteins (dairy,red meat) contain more methionine than plant proteins. Let's compare cow's milk to non-gmo soymilk: Methionine in 100 grams of soymilk: .040 grams Methionine in 100 grams of whole milk: .083 grams Methionine in 100 grams of skim milk: .099 grams Now, let's compare 100 gram portions of non-gmo tofu to meat: (All ofthe meat products are lean and without skin) Silken soft tofu: .074 grams Hamburger: .282 grams Roast ham: .535 grams Swiss cheese .784 grams Roast chicken: .801 grams In 1988, N.A. Breslau and colleagues identified the relationship betweenprotein-rich diets and calcium metabolism, noting that protein causedcalcium loss. His work was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology (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 the bonesand excreted in the urine. MORE SUPORTING EVIDENCE: " Osteoporosis is caused by a number of things, one of the most importantbeing 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) ---------------------------- " Increasing one's protein intake by 100% may cause calcium loss to double. " Journal of Nutrition, 1981; 111 (3) --- ----------- " The average man in the US eats 175% more protein than the recommended daily 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, were associated with an increased risk of hip fractures... metabolism of dietary 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 heart study in the history of mankind. Some of the highlights of this exhaustive 50year study: In 1960, Cigarette smoking was found to increase the risk of heart disease. In 1970, high blood pressure was found to increase the risk of stroke.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 heart attack deaths. *Homocysteines* are normal breakdown products of " methionine " and arebelieved to exert a number of toxic effects in the body. I recently spoke with the senior investigator of the Framinham heart study, WilliamCastelli, M.D. (E-mail: willi-) Dr. Castelli has suggested that an elevated homocysteine level is a risk factor for heartdisease. The first evidence of this was published in the AmercianJournal of Cardiology (Glueck, 1995;75:1326). Two recent publications resulting from Framingham data indicate a positive correlation between cardiovascular disease mortality and blood serum levels of *homocysteine*. Bostom AG, et. al, Nonfasting plasma total homocysteine levels and all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in elderly Framingham menand women. Arch Intern Med 1999; 159:1077-1080. Bostom A.G., et. al, Nonfasting plasma total homocysteine levels and stroke incidence in elderly persons: the Framingham Study. Ann InternMed 131[5], 352-355, 1999. --- ----------- Robert Cohen author of: MILK - The Deadly Poison (201-871-5871) Executive Director (not-) Dairy Education Board http://www.notmilk.com --- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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