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By Jim Rix
In the last episode, protein (specifically protein deficiency) was identified as a red herring, because any diet, whether animal-based or plant-based, contains sufficient protein for humans to thrive. Protein deficiency obscures the real problem, which is excess protein. For example, as the discussion of that article revealed, kidney failure is a consequence of excess protein. Are there others?
Osteoporosis, the thinning and weakening of the bones, is thought by many to be the result of calcium deficiency and is promoted by the dairy industry with advertising slogans such as “Milk builds strong bones” and “Got milk?” and by the supplement industry with calcium pills like “CitraCal.”
Is osteoporosis really caused by calcium deficiency? The answer lies in the body’s pH. pH is the measure of acidity versus alkalinity. A pH of 7 is neutral. Below 7 is acidic, above 7 alkaline. The body maintains a precise pH of 7.4 – slightly alkaline. When the body encounters high-acid foods, it naturally must buffer it with some alkaline material to maintain this precise pH level. Calcium is alkaline. And the primary buffering agent for excess acid is the calcium in our bones. Osteoporosis is a consequence not of calcium deficiency but of excess acid. (Popping TUMS, another calcium pill, to combat acid indigestion is evidence of this fact.)
Where does excess acid come from? Hint: All protein is made up of combinations of amino acids. That’s right – protein is acidic.
So osteoporosis, like kidney failure, is another consequence of excess protein, and “calcium deficiency,” like “protein deficiency,” is another red herring of the healthcare biz.
Previous red herring: Protein
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Copyright © 2014 by Jim Rix
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Very interesting Jim. I remember reading an article years ago about something I believe they called the Black Death. It was occurring, right after the Civil War, in the South. A doctor from somewhere up North, while investigating the problem, noticed the only meals people were eating were collard greens, turnip green.
ReplyDeleteIn one prison he introduced a small amount of meat once a week. In the other the diet stayed the same. The prison which received the meat reported no new cases, while in the other the death rate remained the same.
I am not saying meat cannot be harmful to the body, but a diet of any one food group may also be harmful. My guess is the doctor could have introduced some other veggie and had the same results. However, the lack of protein in the diet was what caused the Black Death, if in deed that was the name. It could be that this is where the idea of lack of protein came from.
Your noting Black Death is also very interesting. What you have described is not just protein deficiency but FOOD deficiency. These people were starving to death. In these types of extreme situations any high calorie food is welcome. The Donner Party, for example, when starving resorted to cannibalism and lived to tell the tale. When starving, the human body will convert protein into carbohydrate by a process known as Gluconeogenesis. Collard and turnip greens are low calorie non-starchy vegetables. You are correct in that introducing other veggies particularly starchy vegetables like potatoes would have had the same results. Indeed I believe they would have had better results. Also I agree with you that this incident most likely contributed to giving more clout to protein than it deserves.
DeleteJim, thank you for raising the question whether osteoporosis results from not consuming sufficient calcium, and for cautioning readers rather than to succunb to another red herring of the healthcare biz, to think again.
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