Articles of Interest

Osteoporosis and the Dairy Myth by Dr. Jon Repole

 

The incidence of osteoporosis in the Unites States is on a scale of epidemic proportions.  Osteoporosis is a bone softening disease, affecting women greater than men. The quantity of bone remains intact while the quality is damaged often leading to increased risk for fracture and decreased musculoskeletal function. Osteoporosis, like many other diseases found in affluent countries, is a “disease” of lifestyle.  As an example, we now know that obesity increases the risk for diabetes and heart disease, smoking increases your risk for lung cancer and lack of fiber increases your risk for colorectal cancer.  Although the risks for osteoporosis are known to the scientific community, public education on prevention comes from one biased and monopolized source – The Dairy Industry.

 

The National Institute of Health reports that the countries with the highest consumption of dairy products have also the highest rate of osteoporosis. They are: Finland, Sweden, United States and England.  The research clearly shows that all high protein foods such as dairy, eggs, and meat pull calcium from the musculoskeletal system.  The calcium then acts to buffer the toxins produced from excessive protein consumption and prepares it for urine excretion.  In contrast, vegetable sources of calcium do not share these risks, in fact, the absorption rate of vegetable calcium into the body is higher then it is for milk. For example brussel sprouts have a 63.8% calcium absorption rate into the body as compared with 32% for milk.  

 

It is important to understand the following facts before deciding if Dairy should, in fact, be considered a hierarchical food group worthy of daily consumption.  For starters, we are the only adult species on this planet to drink milk into our adult years.  A high percentage of populations around the world are lactose intolerant (having the inability to digest the lactose enzyme found in dairy).  In fact, statistics show that lactose intolerance among adults of Asian descent is 90-100%, African Americans 65-70%, and Italians 65-70%.  Thus, raising the question of whether our bodies are actually designed to consume, digest and assimilate milk.  Further, factory farming conditions for dairy production are grossly unsanitary with inhumane handling procedures producing severely diseased animals for human consumption.

 

The Dairy’s nutrition program of “Milk Does A Body Good” is obviously failing American. Dairy products contain an enormous amount of allowed antibiotics, pesticides, hormones, fat and cholesterol with suspect linkage to early menarche in teenage girls, allergies, ear infections, heart disease, decrease immune function and hormonal imbalances.   So how do you prevent osteoporosis?  The answer is quite easy.  Consume a well balanced plant based diet that is high in “absorbable” calcium from sources such as soymilk, orange juice, broccoli, beans, tofu, nuts, seeds and dried fruits.  In addition to the above dietary recommendations adopt a weekly weight bearing exercise routine as this will help to increase the quality and strength of bone tissue. As always, empower yourself with education from the latest scientific studies that are financed from unbiased sources.

 

 

 

THE CHINA STUDY by Dr. Jon Repole

 

If you are like the majority of the population you probably are unfamiliar with the landmark research undertaken as a joint collaboration between Cornell/Oxford University and the Chinese Academy of Preventative and Medical Sciences. It is called – “The China Study” and is currently the longest and largest conducted study on human nutrition, mortality rates and disease ever conducted. The results of the study, recently released to the public, show startling conclusions based not on your most recent “fad” diet but rather on cancer mortality statistics and disease correlation for 880 million Chinese citizens.  This data was then combined with reviewing and analyzing diets, surveys, blood and urine samples for 6500 people in a total of 65 counties in rural China.  A summary of the results are as follows:

 

#1) Diet has a direct correlation with cancer. Chinese Counties with the highest incidence of cancer are those counties with the highest consumption of protein in the form of eggs, meat, chicken, and dairy. Counties with the lowest incidence of cancer are those counties with the lowers consumption of protein in the form of plant protein. Even though many of us worry about getting enough protein, evidence suggests the real danger is consuming too much protein – especially if it is protein from the wrong foods.

 

#2) Long term weight loss is not about how much you eat, it is what you eat. The least active people in rural China consumed 30% more calories per pound of body weight, and yet had a 20% lower body mass index than average Americans.

 

#3) Vitamin supplements are not a panacea for good health. Vitamins and minerals found in whole foods have the most protection against all disease. The people with the longest longevity on the globe – do not take supplements.

 

#4) Heart disease, diabetes, various cancers, obesity, bone diseases, autoimmune diseases, kidney health, vision and brain disorders are convincingly influenced in a positive manner by adopting a high carbohydrate, whole foods, plant based diet.

 

#5) Blood cholesterol is a predictor not only of heart disease risk, but also of cancer. High cholesterol levels were found in those counties mentioned above with the highest level of animal based protein.

 

#6) Genes do not determine disease on their own. Genes function only by being activated, or expressed, and nutrition plays a critical role in determining which genes, good or bad, are expressed.

 

The China Study gives accountability to the decisions we make about our health.  It seems that genetics account for a smaller portion of disease initiation then you may have previously thought. Thus, by choosing to eat that salad in place of that burger, those steamed vegetables and whole grains instead of that milkshake you can achieve disease prevention and increased longevity. You owe it to yourself to learn more and adopt the counsel of the China Study for there is nothing more important than your health and the health of those you love.