When it comes to bone health, we often oversimplify the message to one word: calcium. The crucial question, however, isn’t how much calcium you take in, but how much of that calcium goes into the bone and stays there. Calcium is only a small, albeit important, part of the picture. For better bones, we need to remember what they’re made of, what stimulates them to grow strong and the real causes of bone loss.

In Canada, the recommended daily allowance for calcium is 1200 mg while in the European community it’s only 800 mg daily. Are we so different from the Europeans? Of course not. The real question is not how much calcium we eat, but rather what makes calcium go into the bones, and why calcium is leached from the bones.

Burning up our bones
Metabolising foods to create energy for movement and heat or when you transform it into stock energy (also known as fat), produces waste products. Metabolising animal protein and refined foods, rich in the North American diet, creates acidic waste which must be neutralized in order for blood to maintain a healthy pH. To neutralize acids, our bodies use alkaline minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium. If your diet is rich enough in those minerals because you eat plenty of greens and other fruits and vegetables that create alkaline waste then no worry.

On the other hand, if your diet is typical of most Canadians, your body will sorely need minerals. According to a Globe & Mail survey (July 2002), only one in six Canadians consume the recommended five daily servings of fruits and veggies. To make matters worse, iceberg lettuce, processed tomatoes (that means ketchup and tomato sauce), onions and fries make up over half of the veggie intake, and they do not count, because of their lack of nutrient value. So, in order to do a proper job of neutralizing the acidic waste products, your body has to leach minerals from the only reserve it has – your bones!

Osteoporosis — a primary cause
The acidifying diet is now recognized as a primary cause of osteoporosis. Dr. Katherine Tucker published a thought-provoking paper in the European Journal of Nutri-tion in 2001 studying the impact of the alkaline vs. acidifying diet. In “The Acid Base Hypothesis: Diet and Bone in the Framingham Osteoporosis Study”, she concluded, “These results support the role of base (alkaline) forming foods and nutrients in bone maintenance.” In other words, alkaline greens, fruits and vegetables are more important for bones than the amount of calcium in your diet.

While some may argue there is no such thing as an acidifying diet, scientific, clinical references on the impact of this acidifying diet on the bones prove otherwise. We can actually measure acid waste products with a simple urine test called the Potential Renal Acid Load (PRAL). It also measures the amount of neutralized acids with their attached minerals.

When the amount of acids becomes too much for the body’s mineral stores, the urine becomes more acidic. Urine acidity can be measured at home with a simple test, by dipping a pH paper in the urine every morning for a week. If the average pH is acidic (anywhere below 6.5), you’re losing minerals. If it is 7pH, it is neutral and you’re okay. If it tests alkaline, your bones are definitely happy. This shows the more greens you have in your diet, the better it is for your bones.

Vitamin D at its best
Bones need more than minerals. Vitamin D is needed for the proper absorption of the mineral calcium and to get the calcium into the bone. There’s renewed interest in this vitamin. According to recent research, Vitamin D does much more than just support bones and calcium. It’s also involved with the immune system and may help to reduce cancers.

Vitamin K for bones?
Vitamin K is known for its coagulation and blood clotting properties. New information now shows Vitamin K is also necessary to activate the calcium carrier called ’osteo-calcin.’ This carrier is responsible for incorporating calcium in the bone and for removing calcium from areas it doesn’t belong, such as in soft tissues like arteries. Deficiencies in Vitamin K are linked with weaker bones and calcified soft tissues. In Japan, Vitamin K supplements are actually approved for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

Green vegetables and fermented foods are the best source of Vitamin K. In fact, because like other fat soluble Vitamins A, D and E, Vitamin K accumulates in tissue, it was recommended that we not supplement. Science evolves. Until recently, it was believed our own intestinal bacteria were producing enough for our needs. However, in 2001, Health Canada and the Institute of Medicine published a reference intake for Vitamin K, recommending 90 mcg for women and 120 mcg for men.

Green — the best colour for bones
To get good solid bones, make sure your body uses all minerals correctly. Do this by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. If you don’t have enough greens in your diet or don’t want to take chances, use a good green food supplement. And enjoy the sun as often as you can with as little sunscreen as is necessary not to burn or cause sun damage.

H&L