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Populations with a high vegetable consumption have the healthiest bones

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Populations that have a high consumption of fruits and vegetables and a low consumption of animal-source protein have the lowest rates of osteoporosis and hip fractures. Populations that have a low consumption of fruits and vegetables and a high consumption of animal-source protein have the highest rates of osteoporosis and hip fractures. Why? What is so different about animal-source protein (meat) and vegetables? Both foods are rich in most vitamins and minerals. So what is the big difference that causes this dramatic difference in bone health? One obvious difference is vitamin K1 (phylloquinone), which is plentiful in green vegetables and has been directly linked to better bone health and arterial health. But there appears to be another reason which may be even more important than vitamin K1. Please read: http://www.eateco.org/PDF/OsteoporosisProtein.pdf
Your computer needs to have Adobe Reader 9, which you can download for free, in order to read this article which explains why our bodies lose so much calcium when we eat animal-source protein. (Acid-generating dietary protein causes the human body to use the calcium in its bones as an alkaline defense. This results in high rates of urinary calcium excretion. Vegetable-source protein and animal-source protein are different from each other. Vegetable-source protein not only tends to be less in quantity, but also tends not to create the acid problem as much as animal-source protein. More importantly, fruits and vegetables are high in alkaline potassium compounds and alkaline magnesium compounds which the human body uses instead of using the calcium in its bones to neutralize the acid generated by both vegetable-source and animal-source proteins but especially the animal-source protein in the human diet). Caution: Eating a diet high in calcium may not be a good way of fighting this problem and in fact, may greatly increase your risk of getting osteoporosis and hip fractures in the long run. Thijs R. Klompmaker of the Netherlands, who is better known by his Japanese-sounding internet name, "Wai Genriiu," tells us that without any exceptions, all major nations that have low calcium consumptions have the lowest rates of osteoporosis and hip fractures, while all major nations that have high calcium consumptions have the highest rates of osteoporosis and hip fractures: http://www.4.waisays.com/ExcessiveCalcium.htm The U.S. and the European nations that most heavily consume dairy foods have the world's highest rates of osteoporosis and bone fractures, while nations like China, where the people have a per capita calcium intake of only 300 mg daily and where the people have a high-osteoporosis-risk, delicate Asian body frame, have somewhat lower bone densities but they also have much lower rates of bone fractures compared to the U.S. and Europe. However, when some of these Chinese people emigrate to live permanently in the U.S., their calcium consumption rises and their rate of bone fractures dramatically rises also. The following 2 web addresses confirm that the Chinese still living in China eat more vegetables than any other nation: http://www.agrsci.unibo.it/wchr/wc1/segret7.html http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/english/200110/28/eng20011028_83348.html Finally, the following PubMed research study confirms Wai Genriiu's claim that the Chinese living in China have relatively good bone health compared to those who live in the dairy-consuming Western nations: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19415374 Note that the osteoporosis rate in Hong Kong, while somewhat lower than the osteoporosis rates in Western nations, was much higher than the osteoporosis rate in mainland China or the osteoporosis rate in Taiwan. Although better-nourished than the Chinese living in mainland China, the Chinese living in Hong Kong partially blend in a British-influenced, animal-protein-rich, Western diet together with their traditional Chinese diet.

Explore topics in this discussion:

Heart disease Cancer Confusion Fractures Osteoporosis

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Oh, yes, let's hear stories from all the people who have cured their osteoporosis by eating less calcium and vitamin D. (....cricket chirping...)

Dear Pika B.: You may be right and I may be wrong about Wai Genriiu lacking credentials. Some websites say that Wai is a she and not a he. Other websites say that Wai is a he and not a she. I'm confused. Either way, Wai argues convincingly that although high intakes of calcium and vitamin D will increase your bone density and bone strength in the short term, your bones will age prematurely in the long term (your osteoblasts will slowly die off at a more rapid rate than in people who avoid eating too much calcium and vitamin D). Anyhow, here's another good website for you: http://www.thevegetariansite.com/diet_stud.htm Live long and prosper.

There is so much conflicting information on the disinformation highway that creates a lot of confusion and intertia. So many of these studies are so limited, lacking in complexity; and othewise flawed that their results are dubious. I agree that a diet of mostly fruits and veggies is best. However, I am not about to give up my calcium, D, strontum, and all dairy and meats. Alkalizing agents like vinegar and lemon juice can neutralize acids produced by dairy and meats and render systemic balanced negating the deletrious effects of acidity.

I am wondering if rmchavin could provide resources for the statements in this discussion. I have begun a literature search to find anything to substantiate the statement. Issues such as this are always a concern to me as I am a vegetarian.

Dear Sara Meeks:
I can provide you with the following excellent web addresses: http://www.thevegetariansite.com/diet_stud.htm http://www.newtreatments.org/osteoporosis http://delavan22.adventistchurchconnect.org/article.php?id=40 http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/print.asp?ID=147 http://www.whfhhc.com/Osteoporosis/128775.htm http://babyreference.com/MilkingYourBones.htm http://www.cyberparent.com/nutrition/osteoporosiscausemilk.htm http://www.news-medical.net/?id=13120 http://www.nutralegacy.com/blog/general-healthcare/recent-shocking-studies- milk-causes-osteoporosis/
Remember to do what works best. The people of Hong Kong and Okinawa live the longest. Vegetarians who eat a small amount of fish are even healthier than the vegetarians who never eat fish. It appears that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish, other seafood, and flaxseed oil greatly lower our risk of heart disease and cancer as much as the fruits and vegetables do for pure vegetarians. However, the benefit of reducing bone fracture risk is apparently only from the fruits and vegetables and not from the fish and other seafood. Live long and prosper.

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