You've seen the ads---the latest, sexiest, smilingest Hollywood stars-all with milk mustaches! The underlying message in these dairy sponsored ads is that milk is good for you and makes you look good. If you want to be like those smiling, sexy models, drink milk. After all, that incredible bone structure could only come from adequate doses of calcium necessary for the prevention of osteoporosis, and dairy products are an essential source of calcium, right? Right... and wrong.

Osteoporosis is a serious, debilitating disease that strikes many post- menopausal women. Getting enough calcium is a high priority in the prevention of osteoporosis because by the time osteoporosis is generally diagnosed, 50 to 75% of the original bone material has already been lost. But recent studies have shown that the dairy industry, with the support of the medical association, may not be giving the full story on osteoporosis.

It's true that dairy products contain fair amounts of calcium, but, and it's big but, the animal proteins is dairy products pose a greater risk to absorption of calcium than would plant originated proteins. This is because much of the calcium in milk is combined with casein (calcium caseinate), and this culprit helps cause the very calcium in your milk to be eliminated or lost in the urine.

Here's how the contradiction unfolds:

1. Most people in the industrialized counties eat far more protein than recommended daily allowance.
2. Excess proteins cannot be stored as proteins in the body, as the body is only geared for strong fat or carbohydrates. Hence, excess protein is metabolized into another form, one of the byproducts of which is ammonia.
3. Ammonia is highly toxic to the system so the body transforms it into urea which is then eliminated by the kidneys. The more protein you eat, and thereby the more problems are created in the body, among which are cancer, kidney stone formation, progressive deterioration of kidney/renal function, and osteoporosis.,
4. Sodium and calcium are reabsorbed into the body at various sites in the kidney excretion system. Animal proteins usually have more sodium than do plant proteins. So if you eat high sodium foods such as animal proteins, the amount of calcium that can be reabsorbed will be decreased (the kidneys can only handle so much volume!) Reduced absorption means calcium loss.
5. Animal proteins have higher concentrations of sulphur-containing amino acids, as well, which also cause calcium loss. As the body metabolizes these sulphur-containing amino acids, the acidic excretions in the kidneys increases and this acid stress prevents the reabsorption of calcium, leading to calcium loss.
7. If calcium is lost because of high protein intake, the body will call on the reserves in the bones, thus laying the foundation for osteoporosis.

It shouldn't be surprising then that osteoporosis seems to be more common in countries where the consumption of dairy products is high. Oddly, vegan diets are often criticized on the grounds that they will lead to severe calcium depletion. There is, however, no evidence that this is true. In fact, studies have shown the exact opposite to be true. And if you're thinking that calcium supplements will do the trick, sorry, there is no clear evidence that dietary calcium supplements will slow the rate of bone loss in post-menopausal women either.

What to do then? Listening to the milk-mustached dairy ads could land you in a vicious circle: you eat dairy products to obtain calcium, only to lose it because of the high rate of animal protein and its harmful effects on your body, so you eat more dairy products to make up for the loss, only to lose more. The best way to stop the cycle is to find other good sources of calcium and a variety of plant proteins rather than animal proteins. Plant protein sources such as tofu and soya milk do not cause calcium loss and are therefore excellent protein sources for restoring the calcium balance in your body. If you are looking for alternate sources of calcium, without the animal protein found in dairy products, here are some ideas:

• whole oats (this excellent grain source has the highest fat content & 2nd highest protein content of the grains)
• citrus fruit (an excellent source...surprise, surprise!)
• soya products (also an excellent source of protein)
• parsley (exceptionally rich in calcium)
• broccoli (1 of the richest veggie sources)
• figs (excellent source)
• macadamia nuts
• sesame seeds
• sunflower seeds
• currants
• kale
• cherries

So go ahead, snack on some figs and macadamia nuts. Make yourself a tabouli salad with lots of parsley and bulgur...and smile. You're working at keeping the bones looking good.

NOTE: Information for the Heatlh Nugget was gleaned from Dr. Veith's book. Diet and Health, New Scientific Perspectives.