>individuals with abnormal renal insufficiency. From what I've read, the
>link between high protein consumption and osteoporosis doesn't exist.
>The opposite is true. In a recent study, three groups were all put on
>the same calcium and vitamin D supplements, and on low, medium, or high
>protein intakes. The higher the dietary protein, the more increase in
>bone mass. This would help explain why hunter-gatherers on high animal
>protein diets, have exceptional bone density.

Hi Hilary;

I would like to see actual studies or their abstracts on your statement, if
possible. From what I can gather after a little research, is that there is
much to be learned of the relationship of protein consumption and
osteoporosis and, according to one study (excerpted right below), protein
consumption is essential to help in prevention, but not to the degree that
imbalances the acid/alkaline ratio.

I've added other excerpts further down.

Marilyn

From http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/165/11/1511

Protein, sodium and caffeine

Specific dietary components can influence both the amount of absorbed
calcium available for deposition in bone and bone resorption. An adequate
amount of dietary protein is essential to maintain production of hormones
and growth factors that modulate bone synthesis.18 This is especially
important for elderly people who tend to have low protein intakes. At any
age, the balance of the total dietary acid and alkaline load is critical to
the excretion of calcium, especially if the calcium intake is marginal. This
is achieved with a diet balanced in protein foods that generate acid and
fruits and vegetables that provide the alkali to neutralize the acid.19,20
In theory, if alkali-producing foods spare bone calcium from being mobilized
to serve as a source of labile base to neutralize blood pH, less skeletal
mass will be lost over time.

A high intake of salt leads to increased sodium excretion and with it an
obligatory loss of urinary calcium because of the solvent drag effect of
sodium.21 A high dietary intake of caffeine induces a short-term increase in
urinary calcium loss.6 Although the interactive effects of dietary protein,
sodium and caffeine on overall calcium retention are recognized, there is no
substantive evidence that this contributes to bone loss if the recommended
calcium intake for age is achieved. The best advice for all ages is to
consume protein to meet needs, but not to excess, and to avoid excessive
amounts of sodium and caffeine to minimize any negative effect on urinary
calcium loss.

. . .

Paleonutritional analysis of the pre-Hispanic population from Fuerteventura
(Canary Islands).

Gonzalez-Reimer E, Velasco-Vazquez J, Arnay-de-la-Rosa M,
Santolaria-Fernandez F, Galindo-Martin L.

Departamento de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario de Canarias,
Tenerife, Canary, Islands, Spain.

In this study, from histological and chemical perspectives, we analyse the
human remains belonging to the pre-Hispanic inhabitants from Fuerteventura
(one of the Canary Islands) and compare the results with those obtained on a
sample of pre-Hispanic inhabitants from Gran Canaria (Canary Islands). We
observe that trabecular bone mass was normal in the samples from
Fuerteventura except for an elderly woman; this result is in sharp contrast
with the decreased bone mass observed in the population from Gran Canaria.
The pre-Hispanic population from Fuerteventura showed lower bone strontium,
Sr/Ca ratio, and bone barium, but slightly higher bone copper, than that
from Gran Canaria. All these data indicate a greater consumption of marine
products by the population of Fuerteventura. The high prevalence of
osteoporosis observed in the population from Gran Canaria may be interpreted
as a consequence of protein-calorie malnutrition, a condition which seemed
to be not so prevalent in the population of Fuerteventura.

[...]

Osteoporosis: prevention, diagnosis, and management.

Deal CL.

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

Osteoporosis is a public health scourge that is usually eminently
preventable. Some risk factors, such as low calcium intake, vitamin D
deficiency, and physical inactivity, are amenable to early interventions
that will help maximize peak bone density. Other risk factors subject to
modification are cigarette smoking and excessive consumption of protein,
caffeine, and alcohol. [...]

. . .

Putting osteoporosis in perspective.

Wardlaw GM.

Medical Dietetics Division, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210.

[...]Less convincing evidence exists for a relationship with dietary
protein, dietary phosphorus, and caffeine intake. [...]

. . .

Genetic and environmental determinants of peak bone mass in young men and women.

McGuigan FE, Murray L, Gallagher A, Davey-Smith G, Neville CE, Van't Hof R,
Boreham C, Ralston SH.

Aberdeen University, Scotland, UK.

Peak bone mass is an important risk factor for the development of
osteoporosis in later life. Previous work has suggested that genetic,
intrauterine, and environmental factors all contribute to the regulation of
bone mass, but the ways in which they interact with each other to do so
remain poorly understood. [...]

. . .