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Last Updated: Mar 29, 2009 - 5:58:43 PM |
Editor's note: Just remember that not all fruits and vegetables have the same effect on the pH. Vegetables with rich amounts of minerals such as green leafy vegetables are probably the best you can eat.
Wednesday Dec 3, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- Eating too much protein and cereal grains produces an excess of acid in the body which may increase calcium excretion and weaken bones, according to a new study reported in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
The study also suggests that increasing the alkali content of the diet either with a pill or through a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can strengthen skeletal health.
"Heredity, diet, and other lifestyle factors contribute to the problem of bone loss and fractures," said Bess Dawson-Hughes, M.D., of Tufts University in Boston, Mass. and lead author of the study. "When it comes to dietary concerns regarding bone health, calcium and vitamin D have received the most attention, but there is increasing evidence that the acid/base balance of the diet is also important.
Dr. Dawson-Hughes said with aging the body becomes less able to excrete acids produced from certain foods and as a result of that the body resorts to stored minerals in bones through a process called bone resorption to release minerals such as calcium, phosphates and alkaline salts into the blood and neutralize the acids. But increased bone resorption causes declines in bone mass and increases risk of fracture.
In the study, 171 men and women aged 50 or older were randomly assigned potassium bicarbonate (alkaline), sodium bicarbonate (alkaline) or potassium chloride (neutral) for three months. The researchers found those who received bicarbonate experienced less calcium excretion, meaning less bone resorption.
"When fruits and vegetables are metabolized they add bicarbonate, an alkaline compound, to the body," said Dr. Dawson Hughes. "Our study found that bicarbonate had a favorable effect on bone resorption and calcium excretion. This suggests that increasing the alkali content of the diet may attenuate bone loss in healthy older adults."
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