PCOS-DIET Messages for July, 2001: Re: calcium is giving me kidney problems..HELP!

Re: calcium is giving me kidney problems..HELP!

From: Hillary (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Tue, 10 Jul 2001 12:50:51 -0500 (CDT)

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Maggie, I'm really sorry to hear about your osteoporosis. I don't really know what to say in terms of treating osteoporosis that already exists, but I felt I should mention something I do know that, unfortunately, hasn't really made it into the mainstream press yet (though numerous scientific studies have found lots of evidence to support it). Osteoporosis isn't a matter of a person not taking in enough calcium, but rather that the calcium that already exists in the bones is lost. One of the main causes of bone loss is excess protein intake, in particular, animal protein. Basically, animal protein is much more acidic than plant-based protein. The body needs to neutralize the acid, so calcium is leached from the bones. This is the main reason consumption of dairy products does not help prevent bone fractures. The main contention of dairy proponents is that dairy has lots of calcium, so it's good for bones. The problem is that it also has lots of animal protein, which leaches calcium from the bones. So while consuming dairy puts a certain amount of calcium into the body, digesting it takes even more calcium from the body, thus resulting in a net loss of calcium. I even noticed the phraseology of a milk commercial recently that said "the calcium in milk may help prevent osteoporosis". The reason they couldn't just say "milk prevents osteoporosis" is that it simply isn't true. This phenomenon has been supported by many studies, including a 12-year study of 78,000 nurses, that found that the group of women who consumed the most dairy products actually had MORE bone fractures than the women who consumed the least dairy. Another example is the Masaii tribe in Africa, which is the only tribe of approximately 40 in Kenya and Tanzania that drinks milk, and is also the only tribe to experience osteoporosis. Also, Eskimos, who consume huge amounts of calcium (way above the RDA), but also have a very high protein intake (from fish) have a very high incidence of osteoporosis.

I'm sure a lot of the people who read this will think I'm crazy, and that this can't possibly be true. So be it. I just felt I should mention it for the sake of those who are forcing themselves to ingest large amounts of calcium in order to make their bones strong. There's lots of scientific evidence to support that ingesting lots of calcium isn't as nearly as important as holding onto the calcium that's already in your bones. In Maggie's situation, I'm not sure what would be recommended. Obviously what you've tried isn't helping. Have you asked your kidney doctor what he/she recommends?

At Fri, 29 Jun 2001, maggie wrote: >
>I tried taking high doses then low doses of calcium, since i have
>osteoporosis. However everytime i take ANY calcium, my kidneys get
>infected or hurt bad. My kidney doctor says calcium is a "cheap" way to
>protect my bones. But my gyno doc says i need to take 1500mg of calcium
>a day....I am already on HRT, but this isnt enough to protect my bones,
>since they still pop and ache. Is there a way calcium can absorb
>correctly in the body? I believe the calcium i have tried (different
>kinds) is not absorbing in my body, causing a buildup in my kidneys....
>therefore causing all the kidney problems. Is there another way to
>protect my bones or get them to feel better? I tried fosamax, evista and
>actonel, and all these upset my stomach so much i had to stop them..HELP
>PLEASE!

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