An article on page 62 of the October 30 US NEWS AND
WORLD REPORT asks "Could diet attack bones? It's a beef about meat."
Reporter Douglas Fox tells us:
"Americans may be washing away their bones in a tide of acid, made as
their bodies metabolize protein-rich foods like meat and cheese."
The article talks of the need for the body to neutralize
the sulfuric acid produced during protein metabolization. Calcium, drawn
from the bones, may be used for that purpose.
Fox covers a study in which women with high acid load
diets were shown, in a seven year period, to have hip fractures 3.7 more
often than those in a low-acid group.
A list of the acid forming potential of various foods is
provided. Hard cheese is at the top, and spinach, which (like most
fruits and vegetables) actually neutralizes acid, is at the bottom.
Fox's article concludes with this quote, from a
researcher, about encouraging the consumption of calcium rich dairy
products:
"The question is, are we giving them extra calcium but potentially also
giving
them extra acid? I think it's something we need to look into."
You can read the whole article at:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/001030/nycu/boneloss.htm
Here's a link: Protein and Bones
At a time when other magazines (such as Better Homes and Gardens) are
regurgitating dairy industry press releases and shoving dairy down our
throats, US News And World Report deserves a big thank you for this one.
The magazine takes letters at:
[email protected]
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