Lets take an honest look at some of the osteoporosis studies and statistics and how osteoporosis affects health and fitness. Americans, along with people in Great Britain, Finland, and Sweden, consume more calcium in the form of dairy products and calcium tablets than any other country in the world. These are the very countries that also have the most osteoporosis in the world. You cant help but wonder why. Over half the people in the United States over 60-years-old get osteoporosis that leads to fractures and often premature death. 50% of bone loss in women occurs prior to menopause. One out of four, thats 25%, of all women get spinal fractures which are very painful, debilitating, and often lead to premature death. Maybe we are doing something wrong! In 1985, the National Dairy Council decided to prove once and for all that drinking milk was good for the bones. It had been claiming it for decades, but it wanted to now prove it. So, the dairy industry sponsored a study which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In this study, postmenopausal women were divided into two groups. One group drank three 8 ounces of skim milk every day giving them a grand total of 1400mg of calcium. The other group drank no milk. The conclusion was most fascinating, and not at all what the National Dairy Council expected. The women who drank the 3 glasses of milk a day ended up having 2x as much bone loss as those women who drank no milk. But have you heard or read about this study in the media? Of course not. Quite the contrary, our minds are constantly filled by the non-stop chatter by the dairy industry. Got milk? To my knowledge, the National Dairy Council has not conducted another study like this one. However, in Harvards large nurses study conducted on 75,000 women, similar results were found. The women who ate more calcium through dairy products had substantially more fractures than those women who drank less milk. Did you hear of these results in the news or from your doctor? My guess is no. The secret to preventing osteoporosis is not drinking milk or taking calcium tablets. The secret to the prevention of osteoporosis is the same secret that prevents so many other common conditions and diseases that are epidemic in the United States and other modern cultures, namely: cancer, heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure, diabetes, digestive disorders, and many others. And what do you think that secret is? You may know the answereating a plant-based diet and daily exercise. You mean that plant foods provide enough calcium for strong bones and teeth? Absolutely and find out the straight skinny in Part 4 of Are You Missing Something? Like the Inside of Your Bones? |
