New research shows that milk is biggest dietary cause of osteoporosis, according to new book
May 18, 2006 (Press Release) --
United Kingdom
From cradle to grave we have always been told to drink our milk because it's 'good for the bones'. Not any longer it seems. It had been thought for many years that calcium in milk makes bones stronger, but new research shows osteoporosis is caused by a lack of bone-making cells in our body rather than a lack of calcium in our food.
Dairy milk is singled out as the culprit because more than any other food it depletes the finite reserve of bone-making cells in the body. Milk does this by increasing 'bone turnover' (the rate at which new bone is made and old bone is lost). By doing so, our bone-making cells get eroded, and over time these cells become less capable of making new bone to replace old bone that is always melting away.
So although milk makes bones denser in the short-term by providing calcium, in the long-term milk erodes bone-making cells, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. This explains why countries with the highest rates of milk consumption, such as Ireland, Austria, and Holland, also have the highest incidence of osteoporosis. Countries that have dramatically increased milk consumption in recent years, such as India and Romania, have also dramatically increased rates of osteoporosis.
Our preconceptions about milk are being turned on their head: growing evidence is showing that far from protecting bones, milk actually causes osteoporosis. For example in a 12-year Harvard study of 78,000 women, those who drank milk three times a day actually broke more bones than women who rarely drank milk. Similarly, a study in Sydney, Australia, showed that higher dairy product consumption doubled the risk of hip fracture compared to those with the lowest consumption.
In fact, virtually all the latest research is showing that consuming more calcium does nothing for bones. For example in February 2006 the New England Journal of Medicine published the results from a $725 million Women's Health Initiative. This study looked at 36,282 women aged 50 - 79 to assess the effects of taking combined calcium/vitamin D supplements - Joel Finkelstein, a Massachusetts General Hospital endocrinologist in Boston, concluded that such supplements 'did not significantly reduce hip fracture, and there was an increased risk of kidney stones.' Many other studies are concluding that avoiding osteoporosis is not about consuming more calcium.
Russell Eaton
Author of The Milk Imperative
Email: milkimperative@milkimperative.com
www.milkimperative.com
From cradle to grave we have always been told to drink our milk because it's 'good for the bones'. Not any longer it seems. It had been thought for many years that calcium in milk makes bones stronger, but new research shows osteoporosis is caused by a lack of bone-making cells in our body rather than a lack of calcium in our food.
Dairy milk is singled out as the culprit because more than any other food it depletes the finite reserve of bone-making cells in the body. Milk does this by increasing 'bone turnover' (the rate at which new bone is made and old bone is lost). By doing so, our bone-making cells get eroded, and over time these cells become less capable of making new bone to replace old bone that is always melting away.
So although milk makes bones denser in the short-term by providing calcium, in the long-term milk erodes bone-making cells, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. This explains why countries with the highest rates of milk consumption, such as Ireland, Austria, and Holland, also have the highest incidence of osteoporosis. Countries that have dramatically increased milk consumption in recent years, such as India and Romania, have also dramatically increased rates of osteoporosis.
Our preconceptions about milk are being turned on their head: growing evidence is showing that far from protecting bones, milk actually causes osteoporosis. For example in a 12-year Harvard study of 78,000 women, those who drank milk three times a day actually broke more bones than women who rarely drank milk. Similarly, a study in Sydney, Australia, showed that higher dairy product consumption doubled the risk of hip fracture compared to those with the lowest consumption.
In fact, virtually all the latest research is showing that consuming more calcium does nothing for bones. For example in February 2006 the New England Journal of Medicine published the results from a $725 million Women's Health Initiative. This study looked at 36,282 women aged 50 - 79 to assess the effects of taking combined calcium/vitamin D supplements - Joel Finkelstein, a Massachusetts General Hospital endocrinologist in Boston, concluded that such supplements 'did not significantly reduce hip fracture, and there was an increased risk of kidney stones.' Many other studies are concluding that avoiding osteoporosis is not about consuming more calcium.
Russell Eaton
Author of The Milk Imperative
Email: milkimperative@milkimperative.com
www.milkimperative.com
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