Can Osteoporosis Be Prevented With Diet?

San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:

There is an ongoing debate in the medical community as to the effectiveness of high protein-high calcium diets as they relate to osteoporosis (some say it's the cause). This debate has been going on for many years now and I have written about it several times on these pages...and voiced my opinion to anyone that cared to listen.

Anyway, a few weeks ago I came across one of the best articles I have ever read on this topic in the Health section of  www.nytimes.com. Nov. 24, 2009. The article is entitled:

Exploring a Low-Acid Diet for Bone Health

Here is an excerpt from the article:

The science of osteoporosis and its resultant fractures has long been plagued by some vexing observations. Why, for example, are osteoporotic fractures relatively rare in Asian countries like Japan, where people live as long or longer than Americans and consume almost no calcium-rich dairy products? Why, in Western countries that consume the most dairy foods, are rates of osteoporotic fractures among the highest in the world? And why has no consistent link been found between the amount of calcium people consume and protection against osteoporosis?

Bones are the storage tank for calcium compounds that regulate the acid-base balance of the blood, which must be maintained within a very narrow range. When the blood becomes even slightly too acid, alkaline calcium compounds — like calcium carbonate, the acid-neutralizer in Tums — are leached from bones to reduce the acidity.

Studies by Dr. Bess Dawson-Hughes, at the Jean Mayer U.S.D.A. Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, and collaborators have demonstrated the acid-neutralizing ability of fruits and vegetables and the crucial role they can play in maintaining healthy bones.

Do yourself a favor and read this article and it’s links. You be the judge.

Dr. Eben Davis is clinic director of Executive Express Chiropractic in downtown San Francisco.

Checkout this video. Foods that kill healthy eating.

Comments

[Dr. Kevin Smith]

Nice article, and an interesting read. Thanks! One of the things I've been reading about bone nutrition & how much we get from dairy has to do with the pasteurization process and it's affect on decreased levels of vitamin D.

[Weight Training Blog]

Thanks a lot! Very nice. It gives me more understandings about on how to prevent osteoporosis.

[Chiropractor Rockledge]

Yes, Vitamin D goes through a process where it goes through the liver and then it lays down into bone, but most patients think calcium, with milk etc.. and yes we need a trace amount of calcium, but more importantly D3

[Margaret Klein]

Hi I read about a study done at Harvard where they said it was very beneficial to the bones to walk wearing a weight vest - moderately weighted ( 4 pounds) I read of the study in Readers Digest and got the vest they mentioned it was by NYK co anyhow a yr later I have actually regained some bone mass !
Do you ever advise patients to wear the NYK weighted vest for osteoporosis?

[Dr. Eben Davis]

I have never recommeded a weighted vest...but it makes sense. Just remember, nothing will make up for excreting too much calcium from a diet rich in animal protein. Unfortunately, this information is not something patients hear often enough from their doctors.