Thinking back to High School Chemistry, we remember acids and
alkaline. When placed together they neutralize making both ineffective.
What many don't realize is that calcium is an alkaline, while the
proteins in milk are an acid. The problem is that there is actually more
acid in the milk than alkaline calcium. So when you drink the milk,
your body has to leach more calcium from what is already in your bones
in order to neutralize the acids coming in. Of course we cannot give
dairy all the blame, but it is definitely a large part of the problem.
The problem is too much protein in our diets. It is so sad that those
who consumes dairy to prevent osteoporosis, are actually causing the
opposite to occur.
One leading researcher in this field stated "Eating a high-protein diet is like pouring acid rain on your bones." I completely agree with that. Harvard University's landmark Nurses Health Study, which followed 78,000 women over a 12-year period, found that the women who consumed the most calcium from dairy foods broke more bones than those who rarely drank milk. Is that not enough to convince you?
A National Institutes of Health study at the University of California, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition(2001),
found that "women who ate most of their protein from animal sources had
three times the rate of bone loss and 3.7 times the rate of hip
fractures as women who ate most of their protein from vegetable
sources." This shows that protein in itself isn't the problem, we need
amino acids in our bodies, but we need to look at where the protein is
coming from. Vegetable sources of protein are pretty much impossible to
overdose on, the amino acids are in a natural form and easily
convertible to be put to use in our own bodies.It is very easy to
overdose on high protein foods such as dairy and meat products, and it
is very hard for our bodies to convert animal protein into human
protein.
Lets not look at the science for a minute and just use our own plain
common sense. Americans eat more dairy products that any other country
on earth. If logic followed the fact that more dairy equals stronger
bones then we wouldn't we have the lowest rates of osteoporosis in the
world? Another logical question to ask is, where does the cow get its
calcium? Is the adult cow drinking its own milk? Of course not, cows get
their calcium from the grass. No other animal on earth drinks milk
after it is weaned, so why do we feel as though dairy is necessary for
our own health?
Drinking dairy does not build strong bones, if you choose to continue
to consume it, let it be classified as a junk food because that is what
it really is. Do not let yourself be fooled into thinking you are doing
something healthy for your body. The best sources of calcium are from
greens and legumes.