| Until the early 1990s, the conventional wisdom on | | | | also questions the wisdom of focusing only on |
| preventing bone fractures in menopausal women | | | | calcium, and especially on focusing primarily on dairy |
| focused on calcium - taking them as supplements, in | | | | sources. A senior researcher for the Physician's |
| milk and dairy products or in fortified drinks and even | | | | Committee on Responsible Medicine, she noticed that |
| in Tums antacids! Along with regular weight-bearing | | | | people in countries that consume the least dairy |
| exercise like walking, swimming or weight-lifting, this | | | | products have the lowest incidence of osteoporosis! |
| was the extent of nondrug advice to prevent | | | | And that the reverse is also true: people in countries |
| osteoporosis. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) | | | | who eat the most diary products suffer the highest |
| was considered next in the line of defense in | | | | rates of fractures. She also discovered that taking |
| protecting against bone less, and if these measured | | | | more than 500mg per day of calcium does not |
| failed, then Fosamax, or other drugs like Boniva and | | | | reduce risk of fracture. |
| Actonel in the related category of bisphosphonate | | | | So how is this possible? Dr. Lanou delves deeply into |
| drugs were recommended. | | | | how food - and what foods - push calcium into bone |
| This line of thinking gradually advanced with more | | | | cells. She suggests that it is more wise to measure |
| research into the physiology of bone formation, as | | | | the effectiveness of different approaches to bone |
| well as with a deeper understanding of the changing | | | | health by their ability to reduce the risk of fracture, |
| nutritional needs of women around menopause. Not | | | | rather than their ability to increase bone density, |
| only do estrogen levels gradually diminish starting at | | | | because density sidesteps the issue of building bones |
| perimenopause, but decreasing the amount of | | | | that are strong and healthy. As with calcium, how |
| nutrients we absorb from foods is common in | | | | much you take is less important than how much of |
| everyone as we get older, with lowering amounts of | | | | the calcium you do take goes into the bone to |
| stomach acids unable to extract maximum value | | | | create new, healthy cells. She demonstrates how |
| from foods, even in optimum diets. Then in 1995, | | | | supplements and HRT keep calcium in the blood, |
| Preventing and Reversing Osteoporosis broke new | | | | while preserving old bone cells, also raising questions |
| ground, with Dr. Alan Gaby, M.D. spearheading a | | | | about optimum and alternative ways to measure |
| nutritional strategy. He questioned the protective | | | | bone health, i.e., not in the bone, but the blood, or |
| value of estrogen in building or keeping bones strong, | | | | even the urine. |
| flexible and healthy. He showed that HRT can | | | | Like Dr. Gaby, Dr. Lanou concludes that an optimum |
| preserve but not create new bone, and that although | | | | diet is one that reduces acidity in the blood. Meats, |
| new growth does slow down after menopause, | | | | processed foods, and sugars - as well as stress - |
| fresh bones cells do continue to be produced and | | | | increase blood acidity. Whole foods and especially |
| replaced throughout life. | | | | fruits and vegetables maintain healthy blood alkalinity. |
| Dr. Gaby demonstrated that estrogen, conversely, | | | | In the body's hierarchy of needs, when the body |
| only serves to maintain a brittle patchwork of old | | | | determines that the blood is too acid, it decides to |
| bone. Replacing estrogen serves only to keep old | | | | take calcium from bone to rebalance and alkalinize the |
| bone cells that would otherwise be disposed of by | | | | blood. So looking at bone health from a nutritional |
| the body! Though bone does show up as more | | | | standpoint, osteoporosis is the body's way of |
| dense on a DEXA bone scan, it is not qualitatively | | | | highlighting an imbalance in either the nutrients you |
| stronger or more resistant to fracture. He proposed | | | | take in, or the nutrients you absorb from your diet |
| that making dietary modifications - especially eating | | | | and supplements! |
| whole foods, grains, fruits and vegetables - as well as | | | | There is much solid evidence accumulated over the |
| taking a broad base of supplements, not only calcium | | | | last two decades showing that a well-rounded and |
| - helps replenish healthy bone. | | | | individualized eating plan provides the array of |
| More recently, nutritionist Amy Lanou, Ph.D., takes Dr. | | | | nutrients vital to maintaining lifelong bone health. More |
| Gaby's finding a step further. In her recent book, | | | | than most women realize, an effective, nondrug |
| Building Bone Vitality: A Revolutionary Diet Plan to | | | | approach to preventing and reversing osteoporosis |
| Prevent Bone Loss and Reverse Osteoporosis - | | | | may be within reach. |
| Without Dairy Foods, Calcium Estrogen or Drugs, she | | | | |