Osteoporosis 2

Last week I closed by questioning the value of dairy in preventing osteoporosis.  While it is true that all milk products are a rich source of calcium, there is still great debate as to whether dairy consumption truly maintains strong bones.  One of the problems with dairy is that it is relatively high in protein and last week we shared the research that high protein diets tend to cause calcium to be dumped in the urine.

To increase bone strength you need other ingredients in addition to calcium.  For instance you need vitamin D3 which helps move calcium out of the gut and into the blood.  You also need magnesium to get calcium out of the blood and into the bone.  Dairy is relatively low in magnesium, so unless you’re getting this mineral from other sources, your milk calcium will be relatively ineffective.  I realize this information may be shocking to some because we’ve been conditioned to drink milk for strong bones.  However, while milk is rich in calcium, there has never been a study proving that dairy reduces the risk of osteoporosis.  When you think about it, we are the only mammals on the planet who drink milk after we are weaned.  To my knowledge there is not an epidemic of osteoporosis in horses or elephants related to their lack of dairy!

But you still need calcium, so what should you do?  The foods that have the best balance of calcium and the other necessary nutrients are once again, the “greens”.  We should all be getting our calcium from sources such as broccoli, cabbage, kale, romaine lettuce, and spinach.  Believe it or not, turnip and collard greens seem to be one of the healthiest sources.  Next week I will discuss the most important factor for strong bones.