Calcium Isn't the Secret to Healthy Bones, Says Natural Solutions Magazine

BOULDER, Colo., July 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's leading health experts insist that we drink plenty of milk and eat dairy foods to protect our bones. Unfortunately, this advice may actually increase a person's risk for the pervasive bone disease osteoporosis.

"The Calcium Myth" in the August issue of Natural Solutions: Vibrant Health, Balanced Living magazine, on newsstands now, draws from 1,200 studies showing that neither milk nor a high-calcium diet reduces bone-fracture risk. In fact, the United States and other Westernized countries have the world's highest fracture rates--despite consuming more dairy foods than anywhere else.

"Our report uncovered that there's much more to achieving optimal bone health than getting enough calcium," says Lauren Piscopo, editor-in-chief of Natural Solutions magazine. "It turns out that what we eat--along with our lifestyle choices and stress levels--contribute to bone depletion. It's not about how much milk we drink."

According to the article's author, health writer Michael Castleman, the solution to osteoporosis is a low-acid--or alkaline--diet to maintain the body's correct pH balance, thereby strengthening bones and preventing osteoporosis. A low-acid diet is one packed with vitamin- and mineral-rich fruits and vegetables and includes few (if any) high-protein foods such as meat, fish, and dairy.

Here's why an alkaline diet boosts bone health more effectively:

* Protein is composed of amino acids. When you eat high-protein foods (including dairy), your body must neutralize these acids in the bloodstream, and it draws from its own reservoir of alkaline material--the calcium compounds in bone--to do that. When too much calcium leaches from bones, osteoporosis develops.
* When you eat fruits and veggies, only small amounts of acid enter the bloodstream, along with some protein and a lot of acid-neutralizing alkaline material. As a result, the calcium in your bones remains at optimal levels.

source : sev.prnewswire.com