I talked about this book in a previous post. Now I have it I am seriously excited. Just look at the chapter headings and you'll see why.1. Countries that consume the most milk, dairy foods and calcium supplements suffer the most fractures.
2. Why some osteoporosis studies should be taken more seriously than others.
3. Milk, dairy foods and calcium supplements by themselves or in any combination do not prevent fractures.
4. Calcium intake during childhood does not prevent fractures at any stage of life.
5. Vitamin D with or without a calcium supplement prevents few if any fractures
6. The final score: we need a theory that works.
Wow! That's really putting it on the line. And for their answer - their 'theory that works'.. click here.
2 comments:
I certainly wouldn't argue about the two main recommendations: weight-bearing exercise plus more fruits and vegetables than other foods. I've only read the books' synopsis so far, and will order the book -- but the review summaries in the synopsis aren't very convincing. For example, fracture rates WITHIN China vary, with vitamin K2 an important factor. And I'm pretty sure I've read studies that find the "alkaline balance theory" doesn't hold. Some of the studies the synopsis quotes, like the long Harvard nurses' study, rely on subjects' memory of what they ate and didn't eat -- the least reliable type of study. Etc. But -- I agree that this book is still worth a look. (Be sure to check out the recent studies on eating 10 prunes a day, too, if osteoporosis is a concern.)
catherine, I think the main thrust of the authors is that they use a meta-study of all available studies - 1200 in all, weighting them by their study type and consequent validity sttistically. I too have seen reports that counter their overall theory but they are saying that OVERALL 2/3 of studies do not support the predominant calcium supplementation theories. I for one was amazed to see that meat causes acid in the urine (I already knew that) but also causes a direct loss of calcium in the urine as well. And re fruits and vegetables, they are saying more veg than sugar/acid laden fruit.
And yes, I will look at the prune study (just wondering what OTHER effects ten prunes a day might have!)
Post a Comment