Excess protein and Bone Loss

To the western mind, daily calcium intake is important in the prevention of osteoporosis.  While this thought is not “wrong” per se, it is missing the point.  Too much dietary protein, not too little calcium is one of the major causes of osteoporosis.

Too much calcium causes excess hydrogen ions in the blood which raises blood acid levels.  The neutralize this acid, the body leaches calcium from the blood.  The resulting sulfur compounds and the excess calcium are excreted in the urine.

“When the body metabolizes more of these proteins than it needs, sulfur-based acids are produced.  To neutralize these acids, the body draws on its stores of calcium. Instead of being used to build bone, the calcium spills into the urine.” (1)

Sources:

Health 1993, Sept 28, as quoted in “Moooove over milk”

What’s behind Osteoporosis

Conventional medicine is continually advertising that the leading cause of osteoporosis is lack of calcium intake (specifically from cow’s milk.) The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine follows a different theory that says the primary cause of Osteoporosis is the body’s need to buffer excess animal protein intake.  According to Dr. McDougall, the high animal protein content of dairy products actually promotes the excretion of calcium from our bones in order to digest it.

This brings up an interesting dilemma in the west where we have been conditioned to believe that bovine dairy is essential to a healthy lifestyle.  Women experiencing the first signs of osteoporosis are encouraged by the doctors to drink more milk and to take vitamin D supplements. 

I speculate that there is a conflict of interests with medical boards and the diary industry. Consider that “the United States, Finland, England, Israel and Sweden have the highest intakes of cows’ milk products and the highest rates of osteoporosis in the world.” Compare this to African and Asian societies who wean their children early and do not consume bovine dairy products and have relatively little problems with osteoporosis. (1)

Sources:

1.) Kerrie K. Saunders, Ph.D. The Vegan Diet as Chronic Disease Prevention, 2003 Lantern Books

2.) McDougall, John A., M.D., McDougall’s Medicine—A Challenging Second Opinion (Clinton, New Jersey: New Win Publishing, Inc., 1985), 63.