OSTEOPOROSIS
By Dr. Regan Golob, DC
Osteoporosis is one of the most common yet least understood bone diseases. It affects about 15 million Americans to some degree. It is showing up in people as young as 25 years of age.
Osteoporosis occurs when there is not enough available calcium for the bones to rebuild properly -- more calcium is lost from the body than is replaced. The bones are alive, just as our skin is alive and the cells that make up your bones today will be different in one year. Back to our old premise "the body doesn't do anything wrong, it is only trying to survive." The bones can act as an Alkaline Reserve for all the acid foods we eat, buffering blood, nerve responses, muscle control, blood coagulation, blood pressure and heart rhythm. If this calcium that is borrowed is not replaced, osteoporosis will develop.
The cause of osteoporosis is too much protein. Protein is essential to good health, but too much protein is a leading cause of poor health. We get protein from meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs and cheese, animal proteins and to a lesser extent, grains and legumes. There is even some protein in vegetables and fruit. However, animal and grain proteins produce an acid residue in the body that needs to be neutralized by alkaline minerals before they can be eliminated from the body. If over time we eat a great deal of animal protein, the minerals continue to be lost and our alkaline reserve depletes.
Recent research has shown that if your diet contains more than 47 grams of protein, more calcium will be taken from the bone than is replaced, i.e. osteoporosis. If your alkaline reserve is depleted, a slice of bread can cause osteoporosis.
This table will give you an example of grams of protein.
|
ACIDS
|
GRAMS OF PROTEIN
|
|
6oz Beef Sirloin
|
54
|
|
6oz Poultry
|
40
|
|
1 cup Lima Beans
|
16
|
|
1 cup whole milk
|
9
|
|
1 slice bread
|
3
|
|
1 egg
|
6
|
|
1 piece of chocolate cake
|
5
|
|
ALKALINE
|
GRAMS OF PROTEIN
|
|
1 cup green beans
|
2
|
|
1 cup grapefruit juice
|
1
|
As you can see, it is very easy to eat 47 grams of protein. Milk is supposed to help in preventing osteoporosis, but since man got involved, i.e. pasteurization; the calcium becomes an inorganic calcium -- you may as well eat dry wall, or antacids, oyster shells, dolomite, calcium carbonate to list a few. The above type of calciums get into the bloodstream but cannot be used to rebuild or replenish our bones. They can contribute to hardening of the arteries or arthritis. The body has to do something with the unusable calcium.
In conclusion, eat more fruits and vegetables, eat less animal protein, stay away from processed milk, soda drinks and unusable forms of calcium!
|