OSTEOPOROSIS — THE REAL CAUSE
Modern women have a very serious problem as they age… They lose calcium form their bones, and the bones become brittle and weak… This predisposes all their bones to fractures. As a consequence, hip fractures become common- place and collapse of the vertebrae in their low back occurs without warning.
Hip fractures frequently lead to death as they require major surgery for a repair. Collapse of the vertebrae in the low back leads to deformity of the spine and the picture of an old woman bent forward with a hump in her back.
This entire sad picture is known as the problem of OSTEOPOROSIS.
OSTEOPOROSIS—THE PICTURE
Osteoporosis means “porous” or “brittle” bones. It occurs almost always in elderly, post- menopausal women.
The entire world knows about it, but no one knows the real cause. Recently, a small medical study in Switzerland has given us a clue to what is the real cause.
As we know from our studies of other phenomena in nature, the cause of something that occurs widely is almost always a change in a fundamental biological process.
In Osteoporosis, that change is in the acidity of the blood. If the blood becomes more acid, then more calcium is lost from the bones, as the skeleton tries to reduce acidity and bring the blood back to normal. In essence, the Skeleton acts as a buffer in the entire metabolic process of creating energy from the nutrients that are ingested by the body.
When the acidity of the body increases, leading to a life threatening condition called Acidosis, the body responds by releasing Calcium Ions which reverse the Acidosis and prevent the death of the body.
WHAT CAUSES ACIDOSIS?
As is always the case, too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing.
The body needs protein for cellular survival. But protein, in excess, without estrogen to incorporate the protein into the cells, produces acidosis.
This is especially true when the protein is not accompanied by fruits and veggies which, like estrogen, tend to prevent acidosis.
The proof of this theory was found amongst Eskimo women, who eat very large amounts of animal protein. When these women went into menopause and lost their estrogen protection, they became osteoporotic faster than their European sisters!
All dietary studies of menopausal women and protein showed the same results.
DR. PINNA’S FUNCTION
Before I explain how this process works, I would like to explain My function.
My Function as a Teacher is to help You as a Reader, understand the complexities of science. If you Understand these complexities you can prevent diseases that would otherwise harm you.
In the next few paragraphs, I will explain how protein produces acids and how the calcium in bone stops that production.
I guarantee that You, Dear Reader, will understand! If you do not understand, you can post a nasty comment.
HOW DO PROTEINS PRODUCE ACIDS?
(This is quite simple.)
Proteins are large molecules composed of Amino Acids. An Amino Acid is an organic acid. In order to separate the Proteins into Amino Acid the body uses Enzymes.
Enzymes are found everywhere in Nature. They are molecules which are necessary for a chemical reaction, or they speed up the chemical reaction. The Enzyme enters the reaction, speeds it up, and then leaves unchanged.
In business we call a man who does this type of activity a Broker. He helps the buyer meet the seller and finalize the deal. He doesn’t buy and he doesn’t sell, but without him the deal will not take place. Without a broker we have no sale. Without an enzyme we have no reaction.
Almost every chemical reaction in our body uses a specialized enzyme.
The food we eat would go through our intestine unchanged if there were no enzymes to break the big molecules into little molecules. Protein is broken down by a group of specialized enzymes into Amino Acids. This produces the acidity when we eat proteins.
WHAT STOPS THE ACIDITY
Anyone who has had a “sour stomach” and bought something in a pharmacy, has probably bought Calcium Carbonate or a close molecular relative. The Calcium Carbonate combines with the acid and produces water and carbon dioxide, which is a gas. After taking the “Ant-Acid” one burps, releasing the Carbon Dioxide and immediately feels better. The acid has been neutralized, and has been turned into water and CO2.
The Calcium in your bones does exactly the same thing. When a woman eats protein she produces acid. Her body recognizes the acid in her blood and her bones release Calcium to neutralize the acid. In this process she loses calcium, and over years her bones become deficient in calcium and we call that state Osteoporosis.
ESTROGEN
Estrogen is a hormone. When a woman has sufficient estrogen in her body, the calcium she eats is quickly converted into bone. Without the Estrogen the calcium is lost through her kidneys.
We can quickly see that the hormone estrogen acts like an Enzyme. However, hormones are different than enzymes in the way they act. They start the process and allow the cell to finish. The enzyme speeds up the process and is present through the chemical activity.
In addition, hormones like estrogen, work in many different situations. Both hormones and enzymes are generally large proteins.
WHAT ELSE CAN STOP THE ACIDOSIS?
As we have just seen, calcium from the bones is automatically used by the body to stop the acidosis. Our friends, the Swiss scientists, discovered a new method.
Here is their story from Medscape:
Potassium Citrate Boosts Bone Density in the Elderly
By Nancy A Melville, November 29, 2010
“Denver, Colorado – Daily supplementation with potassium citrate significantly increases bone mineral density (BAD) in the elderly and might even be an effective treatment for age-related bone loss, according to a 2-year placebo controlled study presented here at Renal Week 2010: American Society of Nephrology 43rd Annual Meeting.
The Swiss study showed that after 2 years of daily supplementation with 60 mmol potassium citrate, the BMD of 201 healthy elderly subjects significantly increased, compared with those who received a placebo, and bone architecture improved.
“The results show that long-term neutralization of diet-induced acid loads by [potassium] citrate can significantly increase bone density in an elderly population with normal baseline BMD,” said Sigrid Jehle, MD, from the University of Basel, Bruderholz/Basel, Switzerland.
BONE MINERAL DENSITY = BMD
The study participants were 61% female and 39% male, had an average age of 69.1 ± 3.3 years, and had normal baseline BMD; there were no differences between the treatment and placebo groups in any of their baseline BMD parameters (t score at L2 to L4 = –0.6).
SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN BMD
Significant and sustained increases in BMD were observed in the potassium citrate group, as measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans and quantitative computed tomography at baseline and at 24 months.
LUMBAR BMD = LOW BACK BONE DENSITY
Lumbar BMD at month 24 in the potassium citrate group increased 1.8%, compared with a decrease of 0.04% in the placebo group (P < .001), and hip BMD increased 0.7% in the potassium citrate group, compared with a decrease of 1.3% in the placebo group.
TOTAL BODY BONE DENSITY
Total body BMD increased 0.6% at month 24 in the potassium citrate group and decreased 0.8% in the placebo group.
WESTERN DIET IS BAD. IT PRODUCES ACIDS
The Western diet is widely regarded as playing a big role in bone loss because of its high acid content. Dr. Jehle and colleagues looked into the potential benefits of neutralization of dietary acid loads, Dr. Jehle said.
“The modern Western diet imposes, for the first time in human evolution, a chronic acid load on the human bone. Shorter-term studies on the neutralization of a dietary-induced acid load in humans have shown promising results in providing calcium retention and inhibiting bone resorption.”
“In this [longer-term] study, we addressed the question of whether the neutralization of endogenous acid reduction can prevent bone loss in individuals with normal bone mass,” she said.
“The results provide strong evidence of the important role of this neutralization in preventing and even treating age-associated decreases in bone mass.”
The study is significant in helping to shed some light on the relationship between bone health and kidney disease, said Daniel Levy, MD, PhD, co moderator of the session and assistant professor of nephrology at the University of Chicago, Illinois.”
ACIDOSIS CAUSES CALCIUM LOSS
“Nephrologists are aware of the adverse effects of acidosis on bone health in patients with renal disease,” Dr. Levy said. “But it has not been clear whether alkali therapy would offer any benefit to elderly patients with normal kidney function and no evidence of acidosis. So the results are impressive.”
CONCLUSION
As we can see from this small study, supplementing the diet with Potassium Citrate reduces calcium loss due to acidosis.
Changing the diet to eliminate protein, or providing fruits and veggies that prevent acidosis is another means of combating osteoporosis.
Each individual will have to determine the exact diet or supplement that will reduce calcium and therefore bone loss. As doctors become more proficient in manipulating dietary parameters a sophisticated treatment plan will fall into place.
VEGETARIANS
Numerous studies have shown that vegans and vegetarians have less osteoporosis than meat eaters. This will not change dietary habits, but may convince some to add veggies.
This is the way medical treatment evolves—not with a bang, but very slowly, and generally with errors…
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Fantastic article. The truth, displayed fully, in black and white. It really is unbelievable what capitalism and the desire to create and sell products has done to the diets of westerners. We see something in a box, and for some reason it clicks that that is somehow what we would like to be eating, instead of something organic and good for you. I have a dream, that one day, in the United States, everybody will be more self-aware, thinking about their inner pH balance, and realize that it is central to their overall health, happiness and wellbeing. If you increase the alkalinity of your diet, you will eliminate so many health problems and potential for future disease. Do it for yourself people, please! You can still eat meat! Just balance that acid increase with other alkaline foods. Imagine being able to eat a delicious juicy steak completely guilt free, and even feel great afterwards! Not bloated with heartburn and diarrhea etc. People have made the false connection that it is the protein sources that are the culprits. With the proper mix of veggies and some fruits, as well as antioxidant rich superfoods and maybe some green tea, it isnt that hard to maintain a pH of close to 0 and enjoy it in the process. Good luck everyone!
Grazie.
Dr. Pinna