Liza May <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>-- Many factors result in excess excretion of calcium, but the most important
>is over consumption of protein.  There are studies that show that populations
>that have the highest amounts of dietary protein, either dairy, meat,
>fish, or nuts, have also the highest incidence of osteoperosis. (Eskimos, Finland,
>United States).

Wrong. This is a myth that vegetarians often spread around. For starts
until the Eskimos started eating Western food they did not get
osteoporosis. Then the Finns are big dairy consumers with little sunlight.
And Americans are big consumers of grains, with all the associated phytic
acid. Phytic acid, which your article doesn't even mention (I bet it was
from some vegetarian list) is the number one cause of excess excretion of
calcium. I can produce some 60 citations in the literature on this.

But back to your protein claims. You should be aware that the studies that
correlated calcium loss with high protein diets used isolated, fractionated
animo acids from milk or eggs.(1) Dr. Herta Spencer, of the VA Hospital in
Hines, IL shows that when protein is given as meat, subjects do not show
any increase in calcium excreted, or any significant change in serum
calcium, even over a long period.(2) Other investigators found that a high
protein intake increased calcium absorption when dietary calcium was
adequate or high, but not when calcium intake was a low 500 mg per day.(3)

Please produce one citation that shows that "meat" is a cause of calcium loss.

(1) Herta Spencer and Lois Kramer, "Factors contributing to osteoporosis",
Journal of Nutrition, 1986 116:316-319

(2) Herta Spencer and Lois Kramer, "Further studies of the effect of a high
protein diet as meat on calcium metabolism", American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, June 1983 37 (6):924-929

(3) HM Linkswiler, et al, "Calcium retention of young adult males as
affected by level of protein and of calcium intake", Trans. N.Y. Acad. Sci.
1974 36:333