Diet and Osteoporosis

The incidence of osteoporosis and hip fractures has more than doubled in many European countries over the last 50 years. It has been a long-held assumption that this is caused by a lack of calcium and vitamin D. Researchers at the University of California now challenge this assumption.

The researchers suggest that the increase in osteoporosis is due to an over-acidic diet. As the average western diet mainly consists of grains, bread, meat and cheese, the acids that are thereby generated in the body tend to pull minerals from the bones. The loss of carbonates, phosphates and ammonia therefore leaves the bones fragile and porous, making them susceptible to damage.

The researchers back up this theory by pointing out that countries with a diet high in meat, cheese, and fish have 40 times as many hip fractures as some Asian countries where fruits and vegetables are the mainstay and cheese and meat are seldom eaten. A recent study also showed that American women whose diets are the most acid-producing had four times the hip fracture rate then those who had the least acid-producing diets.

A separate study highlights the efficacy of potassium bicarbonate in neutralizing the harmful effects of high-acid diets. In order to minimize the risk of osteoporosis, the researchers recommend a diet low in meat, grains and cheese especially, which forms a lot of acids. Fruits and vegetables should be eaten more frequently. They also suggest that it is more prudent to avoid an acid-forming diet than to consume adequate calcium.

Source: Fox, Douglas. Hard cheese. New Scientist, December 15, 2001, pp. 42-45.