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From our old vegetarian information file archives. (Please note that web links inside this document may be broken.)

From mimsy!mojo.eng.umd.edu!mips!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com! hplabs!hpl-opus!hpcc05!hpcuhb!hpindda!gph Sat Dec 7 21:39:32 EST 1991 Article: 13646 of rec.food.veg Path: mimsy!mojo.eng.umd.edu!mips!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com! hplabs!hpl-opus!hpcc05!hpcuhb!hpindda!gph From: gph@hpindda.cup.hp.com (Paul Houtz) Newsgroups: rec.food.veg Subject: Re: Calcium (was Re: world) Message-ID: <5020201@hpindda.cup.hp.com> Date: 3 Dec 91 01:41:21 GMT References: <sdBkf3600VB_J2OkUJ@andrew.cmu.edu> Organization: HP Information Networks, Cupertino, CA Lines: 90 ngrjn@milton.u.washington.edu (V Nagarajan) writes: >In article <sdBkf3600VB_J2OkUJ@andrew.cmu.edu> "David F. McWade" <dm3o+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes: >> >>>>Calcium is a bit harder for those who do not consume much dairy products. >>>>The Brody Book recommends about 1000-1200 milligrams a day. This is >>>>hard to get from vegetables: >> >>If you don't eat dairy products, you don't need as much calcium because >>you are not getting excess protein which is kicking the calcium out of >>your system. Vegans generally need about 400 to 600 mg of calcium per >>day, and many populations have flourished on less. >> >Interesting conjecture, but please don't dish it out as some >sort of established truth. Why do vegans need 400 - 600 mg of >calcium if many populations have flourished on less? What would >these populations be? ---------- Nope. Not conjecture. There is quite a bit of evidence to support Mr. McWade's statement, and I have posted it before to this network: In March 1983, the Journal fo Clinical Nutrition reported the results of the largest study of this kind ever undertaken. Researchers at Michigan State University and other major universities found that, by age 65 in the U.S: Male vegetarians had an average measurable bone loss of 3% Male meat-eaters had an average measurable bone loss of 7% Female vegetarians had an average measurable bone loss of 18% Female meat-eaters had an average measurable bone loss of 35% Since osteoporosis seems to be caused by excessive dietary protein, and there are NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES between vegetable protein and animal protein, why are vegetarians seem so protected from its ravages? 1. It is MUCH easier to over-consume protein on a meat based diet than a vegetarian based diet. Animal foods contain NO fibre, very few complex carbohydrates. Basically they consist of protein and fat. No vegetarian source of protein is as concentrated as milk or meat. 2. Keeping our blood at an essentially neutral pH is a top priority for the body. If our blood were to become too acidic we would die. Accordingly, if teh diet contains a lot of acid forming foods, then the body, in its wisdom, withdraws calcium from the bones and uses this alkaline mineral to balance the pH of the blood. Meat, eggs, and fish are the most acid-forming foods of foods, and hence the ones that cause calcium to be drawn from the bones. 3. The body's ability to absorb calcium depends directly on the amount of phosphorus in the diet. The higher the calcium/ phosphorus ratio, the less bone loss takes place. The foods whose calcium is least available, because their calcium/phosphorus ratio is low, are liver, chicken, beef, pork, and fish, in that order. The calcium in vegetabls and fruits, in sharp contrast, is much more available, due to their higher calcium/phosphorus rations. * bone loss figures for vegetarians vs meat eaters from: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, March 1983. See also, Ellis, F., et al, "Incidence of Osteoporosis in Vegetarians and Omnivores," American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 25:555, 1972 * Figures on acid-forming foods: Mc Cance, R. and Widdowson, E., The Composition of Foods, Her Majesty's Stationary Office, 1960. * Information on calcium/phosphorus ration in calcium availability: Shah, B.G., et al, Journal of Nutrition, 92(1):30, 1967 See also, Recker, R., "The Effect of Milk Supplements on Calcium Metabolism, Bone Metabolism and Calcium Balance," American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 41:254, 1985 Wachman, Amnon, et al, "Diet and Osteoporosis," Lancet, May 4, 1968, pg 958