The development of osteoporosis – the thinning and weakening of bones through the gradual loss of bone mass – can most often be linked to the foods we eat every day. While additional factors, such as the excessive intake of caffeine, alcohol and salt; a lack of exercise; smoking; insufficient vitamin K; and the loss of estrogen also have a depleting effect on bones, the standard American diet plays a major role.
Osteoporosis keeps company with many other modern-day illnesses, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and cancer, in that we are often told their causes are faulty genetics or the inevitable aging process. However, ironically, we are rarely told by the medical establishment that they are caused by the ways we have cared for our body through diet and lifestyle, and that healing can often occur by doing the opposite of what we have done to get to that point.
Worldwide, one in three women over the age of 50 develop osteoporosis (and one in 12 men). Because estrogen is vital to the maintenance of healthy bones (testosterone in men), we see a sharp increase in osteoporosis during menopause. When bone loss becomes excessive, bones become brittle and women become very susceptible to fractures of the hip, spine and wrist. Fractures of the hip, in particular, can be crippling and even fatal. For these reasons, it is important to understand the links between diet and osteoporosis.
Contrary to what we are taught about high-protein animal foods helping to build strong bones (a false message driven mainly by “big food” advertising dollars), meat and dairy foods are actually the largest contributors to the weakening of bones. In fact, in countries that consume a great deal of meat and dairy products, such as the U.S., Sweden, Finland and England, there exists a much higher rate of bone fractures despite higher calcium intakes.
To understand why these foods lead to the development of osteoporosis, we must look at how the human body is designed and what type of fuel it most desires for optimum performance and longevity.
Our body functions best when its Ph balance (acid and alkaline) is slightly more alkaline. So when we consume foods and beverages that, following digestion, become very acid-forming (as opposed to foods acid in nature, such as a lemon), the body’s reaction is to neutralize the acid in order to bring the Ph back into balance. The body does this by calling on its primary buffering system: its calcium stores in our bones.
In order to neutralize the excess acid load, calcium (which has an alkalizing effect on the body) is released from our bones into our blood. Unfortunately, this freed calcium ends up being excreted in the urine by the kidneys, and can no longer be used by our bones. When we break down our bones faster than we can form new bone tissue, osteoporosis sets in.
Foods that contribute a larger acid load to the body and trigger the pulling of calcium from the bones are: meat (including poultry and fish), eggs, dairy (cow’s milk, cheese, ice-cream), refined sugar, some nuts, most grains, chocolate and soda. To maintain proper Ph, consuming foods and beverages that create a more alkaline than acid environment in the body will help us to avoid osteoporosis. An alkaline diet is made up of mostly vegetables, fruits, some legumes (including soy foods), vinegar and herbs. Beer and wine also happen to be alkalizing.
One of our own Sonoma County nutrition experts, Dr. John McDougall, says it best in his book “The McDougall Program for Women” when he states: “Osteoporosis has many causes, but a flaw in the female design is not one of them. What’s the sense in designing a body intended to last eighty-five or more years and then equipping that body with a set of bones that hold up for only sixty years?”
It is helpful to remind ourselves every so often that the human body is an incredibly self-healing organism, and that if we can get out of its way and supply it with the foods and beverages it truly thrives on (not just gets by on), we can reap the rewards of great health at any age.

Cathy Fisher is a certified Nutrition Educator and resides in Glen Ellen.

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