In the last post, Robert Crayhon suggests that the apparent increase in Ca
excretion with diets that are high protein may not be biologically
important.  I agree with him.

Early hunter-gatherers would have obtained huge quantities of calcium from
the bones of small animals.  We analysed the foods consumed by the
Wopkaimen people in Papua New Guinea in the 1980's (1).  Their foods
included very tiny birds, frogs, fish etc that they cooked over the ashes
and the WHOLE animal was consumed including the bones which softened by the
high heat (but even raw they were not hard to eat).  We found that the Ca
content was 1000-4000 mg/100g wet weight of food.  This is higher than milk
and dairy products and it would have been a highly absorbably form of Ca.

Best wishes  Jennie

(1) Brand  JC, Thomas De, Hyndman D.  Composition fo the subsisteance fodd
of the Wopkamin people of Papua New Guinea.  PNG Medical J 1991; 34:35-48.


Jennie Brand Miller  PhD
Associate Professor in Human Nutrition
Department of Biochemistry  G08
University of Sydney
NSW 2006  Australia
Phone: (61 2) 9351 3759
Fax: (61 2) 9351 6022