Someone wrote:

>>5. Countries with high soy consumption have great mineral
profiles(the
>>Japanese have one of the lowest rates of Osteoporosis).

And Staffan wrote in answer:
>>This is not quite the case. The Japanese have LOWER bone density than
Europeans although they lose bone a bit more slowly. However,
hipfracture
rates are less common in Japan which is largely unexpained.

I wonder if there is anything to the probably lower body weight of
Japanese compared to Asians (smaller frames...) that could account for
the bone mineral density being less, or was bone mineral density tested
on a per-lbs.-of-bodyweight basis? The way I've understood it, a lot of
bone mineral density depends on how much weight-bearing is applied to
it. Heavier and bigger boned Europeans would seem to me to naturally
need more dense bones. I think this might help explain the hip fracture
rates being lower in Japan than expected too. Another thing I'd wonder
is whether bone mineral density studies had been done on Japanese
living under Western conditions with Western diets.

Asians are quite different structurally from caucasians just as there
are differences between other races-- in forensics you can help tell a
caucasian from an Asian by the granularity (I think, either that or
dryness) of the earwax versus caucasians. And I've heard physical
therapy specialists talk about how different they find Asian muscle
structure to be-- hard to knead because of muscle and flesh tightness
on the upper back. Alas, muscle structure I'll never have :( ... (hey,
still working on it).

Also curious what the 'great mineral profile' was supposed to be-- in
other words, how are others' mineral profiles off? (Just had mine done
a month or so ago... not enough magnesium in comparison with calcium...
though lots of calcium excretion to outside tissues... short on zinc in
comparison to copper (which was way elevated).

Donna
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