Judith,

thank you so much for your long response to my question.  I found it very
interesting and informative.
Thanks so much again.

Trish

On Fri, 27 Nov 1998 18:43:35 +0900 Judith Preston <[log in to unmask]>
writes:
> Trish,
>
> The fact is that dairy foods interfere with the absorption of
> calcium.  The
> high consumption of dairy is correlated with osteoporosis
> historically and
> in research.  I am not an expert, but it works something like this.
>
> Please other listers jump in with your own knowledge, and ignore my
> laywoman's explanation!
>
> First, protein content interferes with the absorption of calcium.
> Dairy has
> way too much protein to not interfere with whatever calcium is
> present.  The
> caseine will directly interfere with absorbtion, and the calcium in
> the milk
> is rendered un-bioavailable for use in building cells and stuff.
>
> Second, ounce per ounce, green leafy stuff has just as much if not
> more Ca
> than milk or dairy...depending on the veggie of course.  And no
> dairy
> proteins to interfere with its absorption (or wheat proteins, I
> might
> add...I dont know about meat or beans, maybe someone else can
> say??).
>
> Third, people argue for the dairy calcium by showing that blood
> calcium
> levels become elevated after consuming dairy.  But in fact, high
> calcium
> levels in the blood are ALSO the first indication of leeching
> calcium out of
> bones.
>
> As a point, witness the burial of my cat, a traditional cremation in
> Japan.
> My cat had been on steroids for years.  Corticosteroids are
> notorious for
> leading to osteoporosis and bone depleteion.  He had yearly blood
> tests
> done...always showed he had exemplary calcium levels in his blood
> (something
> like 11 or 12 on a scale up to 13).  At his burial, I saw many
> little nicks
> and erosion from his bones, which were brittle and yellow looking.
>
> Now this is my theory and Im sure many others have their own. It is
> very
> possible that we don't even need the calcium levels of 1200 mg.
> daily or
> whatever the USRDA says.  Because its not how much calcium we get
> that is
> the main point;
> it's how bioavailable that calcium is to us.  I believe that milk
> and grain
> proteins directly interfere with the healthy use of calcium.  And Im
> not so
> sure that all that unusable calcium circulating around in our blood
> system
> is good for our arteries or kidneys either.
>
> Sorry for the long winded highly opinionated explanation.  In a
> nutshell,
> no, you dont have to worry about calcium if you dont have dairy, and
> their
> is hard research to support that you will have to worry about it
> less than
> the neighbor who does get his dairy.
>
> Judith
> [log in to unmask]
> ]]Speaking of Dairy foods............. should I be including more
> calcium
> supplements to make up for the calcium I dont eat from dairy?
>
> Trish