Eat More Fruits and Veggies For Stronger Bones

Here is a bit of trivia I ran across this morning. If you eat a lot of protein and cereal grains it causes excess acid production in the body, which could increase calcium excretion and result in weakened bones, and may also lead to osteoporosis.

When we think of taking care of our bones as we age calcium and vitamin D have been stressed, but maybe the acid/base balance of the diet is also important. That is what a new study uncovered. By increasing your alkali levels with a pill or by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables we can strengthen bones.

The study included men and women aged 50 and older who took either a placebo or doses of either potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, or potassium chloride for three months. The people who took bicarbonate showed significant reductions in calcium and reduced bone mass.

As we age the diet of many older adults contains more acids but they are less able to excrete the acid. But if we eat more fruits and veggies they add bicarbonate in our system, which is an alkaline compound.

Dr. Bess Dawson-Hughes, of Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, noted in Endocrine Society news that "In this study, we demonstrated that adding alkali in pill form reduced bone resorption and reduced the losses of calcium in the urine over a three month period. This intervention warrants further investigation as a safe and well tolerated supplement to reduce bone loss and fracture risk in older men and women."