Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss by Joel Fuhrman
Authors: Joel Fuhrman
Ads: Link
Calcium Loss in the Urine 70
animal protein
salt
caffeine
refined sugar
alcohol
nicotine
aluminum-containing antacids
drugs such as antibiotics, steroids, thyroid hormone
vitamin A supplements
Published data clearly links increased urinary excretion of calcium with animal-protein intake but not with vegetable-protein intake. 71 Plant foods, though some may be high in protein, are not acid-forming. Animal-protein ingestion results in a heavy acid load in the blood. This sets off a series of reactions whereby calcium is released from the bones to help neutralize the acid. The sulfur-based amino acids in animal products contribute significantly to urinary acid production and the resulting calcium loss. 72 The Nurses’ Health Study found that women who consumed 95 grams of protein a day had a 22 percent greater risk of forearm fracture than those who consumed less than 68 grams. 73
The most comprehensive epidemiological survey involving hip fractures and food was done in 1992. 74 The authors soughtout every peer-reviewed geographical report ever done on hip-fracture incidence. They located thirty-four published studies of women in sixteen countries. Their analysis showed that diets high in animal protein had the highest correlation with hip-fracture rates, with an 81 percent correlation between eating animal protein and fractures.
The extra calcium contained in dairy foods simply cannot counteract the powerful effect of all the factors listed in the table above. The average American diet is not only high in protein but high in salt, sugar, and caffeine and low in fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables can help buffer the acid load from all the animal protein and reduce calcium loss. 75 So we need to consume a lot more calcium to make up for the powerful combination of factors that induce calcium loss in the urine.
COUNTRY
ANIMAL PROTEIN INTAKE (APPROXIMATE G/DAY)
HIP FRACTURE RATE (PER 100,000 PEOPLE)
South Africa (blacks)
10.4
6.8
New Guinea
16.4
3.1
Singapore
24.7
21.6
Yugoslavia
27.3
27.6
Hong Kong
34.6
45.6
Israel
42.5
93.2
Spain
47.6
42.4
Netherlands
54.3
87.7
United Kingdom
56.6
118.2
Denmark
58
165.3
Sweden
59.4
187.8
Finland
60.5
111.2
Ireland
61.4
76
Norway
66.6
190.4
United States
72
144.9
New Zealand
77.8
119
Some researchers believe it is possible to compensate for our high protein intake just by consuming more calcium. 76 This mightbe the case if the only thing we did to excess was consume a little too much animal protein, but in the context of everything else we do wrong in the American diet and lifestyle, it just doesn’t fly.
Drinking more milk is simply not protective. Taking extra calcium supplements may help trim the calcium loss a little and slow the rate of bone loss, but not enough. We need to reduce the other causes, too. We even add vitamin A to milk, and many women take vitamin A supplements, which contributes to more calcium loss. 77
All these factors help explain why calcium intake does not correlate well with reduced hip-fracture rates around the globe. The Eskimos are a perfect example. They consume a huge amount of calcium, over 2,000 mg a day, from all the soft fish bones they eat, yet they have the highest hip-fracture rate in the world because they consume so much animal protein from fish. 78
Got Milk—Or Leave It?
Dairy is best kept to a minimum. There are many good reasons not to consume dairy. For example, there is a strong association between dairy lactose and ischemic heart disease. 85 There is also a clear association between high-growth-promoting foods such as dairy products and cancer. There is a clear association between milk consumption and bladder, prostate, colorectal, and testicular cancers. 86 Dairy fat is also loaded with various toxins and is the primary source of our nation’s high exposure to dioxin. 87 Dioxin is a highly toxic chemical compound that even the U.S. Environmental Protection
animal protein
salt
caffeine
refined sugar
alcohol
nicotine
aluminum-containing antacids
drugs such as antibiotics, steroids, thyroid hormone
vitamin A supplements
Published data clearly links increased urinary excretion of calcium with animal-protein intake but not with vegetable-protein intake. 71 Plant foods, though some may be high in protein, are not acid-forming. Animal-protein ingestion results in a heavy acid load in the blood. This sets off a series of reactions whereby calcium is released from the bones to help neutralize the acid. The sulfur-based amino acids in animal products contribute significantly to urinary acid production and the resulting calcium loss. 72 The Nurses’ Health Study found that women who consumed 95 grams of protein a day had a 22 percent greater risk of forearm fracture than those who consumed less than 68 grams. 73
The most comprehensive epidemiological survey involving hip fractures and food was done in 1992. 74 The authors soughtout every peer-reviewed geographical report ever done on hip-fracture incidence. They located thirty-four published studies of women in sixteen countries. Their analysis showed that diets high in animal protein had the highest correlation with hip-fracture rates, with an 81 percent correlation between eating animal protein and fractures.
The extra calcium contained in dairy foods simply cannot counteract the powerful effect of all the factors listed in the table above. The average American diet is not only high in protein but high in salt, sugar, and caffeine and low in fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables can help buffer the acid load from all the animal protein and reduce calcium loss. 75 So we need to consume a lot more calcium to make up for the powerful combination of factors that induce calcium loss in the urine.
COUNTRY
ANIMAL PROTEIN INTAKE (APPROXIMATE G/DAY)
HIP FRACTURE RATE (PER 100,000 PEOPLE)
South Africa (blacks)
10.4
6.8
New Guinea
16.4
3.1
Singapore
24.7
21.6
Yugoslavia
27.3
27.6
Hong Kong
34.6
45.6
Israel
42.5
93.2
Spain
47.6
42.4
Netherlands
54.3
87.7
United Kingdom
56.6
118.2
Denmark
58
165.3
Sweden
59.4
187.8
Finland
60.5
111.2
Ireland
61.4
76
Norway
66.6
190.4
United States
72
144.9
New Zealand
77.8
119
Some researchers believe it is possible to compensate for our high protein intake just by consuming more calcium. 76 This mightbe the case if the only thing we did to excess was consume a little too much animal protein, but in the context of everything else we do wrong in the American diet and lifestyle, it just doesn’t fly.
Drinking more milk is simply not protective. Taking extra calcium supplements may help trim the calcium loss a little and slow the rate of bone loss, but not enough. We need to reduce the other causes, too. We even add vitamin A to milk, and many women take vitamin A supplements, which contributes to more calcium loss. 77
All these factors help explain why calcium intake does not correlate well with reduced hip-fracture rates around the globe. The Eskimos are a perfect example. They consume a huge amount of calcium, over 2,000 mg a day, from all the soft fish bones they eat, yet they have the highest hip-fracture rate in the world because they consume so much animal protein from fish. 78
Got Milk—Or Leave It?
Dairy is best kept to a minimum. There are many good reasons not to consume dairy. For example, there is a strong association between dairy lactose and ischemic heart disease. 85 There is also a clear association between high-growth-promoting foods such as dairy products and cancer. There is a clear association between milk consumption and bladder, prostate, colorectal, and testicular cancers. 86 Dairy fat is also loaded with various toxins and is the primary source of our nation’s high exposure to dioxin. 87 Dioxin is a highly toxic chemical compound that even the U.S. Environmental Protection
Similar Books
