Osteoporosis/Calcium

From: sonshine sonshine@
Date: Sun Jan 2, 2000 0:50am

Melana:  you are correct, diet has much to do with our general health. And Henrietta is 
100% correct, one cannot give general "one size fits all" recommendation via email based
on very general data.   And there is a belief that milk or increased calcium will "build
strong bones" which is not really the case.  For an interesting article on the subject 
of calcium see http://www.notmilk.com/deb/092098.html

Below are some quotes from the referenced webpage:

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 dairy intake. Good 
sources of magnesium include beans, green leafy vegetables like kale and collards, whole
grains and orange juice. Non-dairy sources of calcium include green leafy vegetables, 
almonds, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, oats, beans, parsley, sesame seeds and 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 in milk result in
a 50 percent loss of calcium in the urine. In other words, by doubling your protein 
intake there will be a loss of 1-1.5 percent in skeletal mass per year in postmenopausal
women. The calcium contained in leafy green vegetables is more easily absorbed than the 
calcium in milk, and plant proteins do not result in calcium loss the same way as do 
animal proteins. If a postmenopausal woman loses 1-1.5 percent bone mass per year, what 
will be the effect after 20 years? When osteoporosis occurs levels of calcium (being 
excreted from the bones)in 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.

Rosie