
Book Trailer for How Not to Age
Preorder my new book How Not to Age, out this December!
Topic summary contributed by volunteer(s): Charlie
The idea that the acid-forming quality of animal protein has to be buffered by calcium from the bones, thus leading to bone loss, might not be true. However, despite the fact that milk-drinkers have a higher calcium intake, long-term vegans were found to have the same bone mineral density. The galactose in milk may explain why milk consumption is associated with significantly higher risk of hip fractures, cancer, and premature death. Still, vegans not getting enough calcium may be at higher risk of bone fractures, making the consumption of plant-based sources of calcium, such as broccoli and kale, important. Calcium absorption from soy milk was found to be the same as cow’s milk, but soy milk needs to be shaken since the calcium tends to settle at the bottom. Cow’s milk consumption has been found to increase the risk of death and bone fractures, thought to be due to the galactose content. Low levels of testosterone may also lead to loss of bone density. Daily coffee consumption may lead to a slight increase in bone fracture risk in women, but a lower risk in men.
While calcium is important for bone health, fiber and high-phytate foods such as whole grains, beans, and nuts, may also play a role in improving bone mineral density. Moreover, Vitamin D is important for bone health and for the proper functioning of many other organs. Curcumin (found in turmeric) may alleviate the pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis without the side effects associated with drugs. Conversely, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are found in some processed foods and produced by some forms of cooking, may accelerate the aging process and increase risk of osteoporosis.
The information on this page has been compiled from the research presented in the videos listed. Sources for each video can be found by going to the video’s page and clicking on the Sources Cited tab.
Image Credit: Pixabay. This image has been modified.
Preorder my new book How Not to Age, out this December!
What is the rate of yoga injuries compared to other activities?
A study using sham acupuncture underscores the necessity of controlling for expectancy effects.
A combination of low calcium intake and low vitamin D exposure may explain higher bone fracture rates in British vegans.
What are the bone fracture rates of omnivores vs. vegetarians vs. vegans?
Our body can make vitamin K2 from the K1 in green leafy vegetables.
Those eating plant-based tend to be so much slimmer that their bone mass may suffer.
What did randomized controlled human trials find about the ways we may—or may not—benefit from eating onions?
What do randomized controlled trials of high-dose daily vitamin B12 supplementation show about the effects on cancer risk, death, and longevity?
Are the apparent adverse effects of heavy cannabis use on bone just due to users being skinnier?
Eating every other day can raise your cholesterol.
How to preserve bone and mass on a low calorie diet.
Ketogenic diets found to undermine exercise efforts and lead to muscle shrinkage and bone loss.
Do the benefits outweigh the risks for acid-blocker drugs (proton pump inhibitors like Nexium/Prilosec/Prevacid)? What about baking soda?
Let’s review lead from occupational exposures, shooting ranges, eggs, and bone broth.
Do calcium citrate and calcium carbonate have as much lead as calcium supplements derived from dolomite and animal bone?
What are the effects of sodium and calcium intake on blood lead levels in pregnant and breastfeeding women?
The lead trapped in our skeleton can leach back into our bloodstream when we temporarily or permanently lose bone due to pregnancy, weight loss, menopause, or osteoporosis.
What did the most comprehensive double-blind study of diet for autism find, and what are the potential downsides?
A daily dose of 4,000 IU of vitamin D is recommended for elders at high risk for falling to improve muscle strength and balance, though there is something that works even better.
How can soy foods have it both ways with pro-estrogenic effects in some organs that can protect bones and reduce hot flash symptoms, yet also anti-estrogenic effects in others that protect against breast and endometrial cancer?
Neurotoxin contamination of the dairy supply doesn’t explain why the association between Parkinson’s and skim milk consumption is as strong as the disease’s association with whole milk.
When it comes to breast cancer risk, does the phytoestrogen in beer act more like the animal estrogens in Premarin or the protective phytoestrogens in soy?
Vegetables and fruit, such as dried plums, may help build stronger bones.
We don’t have to choose between the lesser of two evils: skin cancer versus internal cancers from vitamin D deficiency.
Why do some recommend thousands of units of supplemental vitamin D when the Institute of Medicine set the recommended daily intake at just 600 to 800 units?
Those with higher vitamin D levels tend to have lower rates of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, but is it cause and effect? Interventional trials finally put vitamin D to the test.
The field of nutrition got human protein requirements spectacularly wrong, leading to a massive recalculation.
How many cola cancer cases are estimated to be caused by Coke and Pepsi in New York versus California, where a carcinogen labeling law (Prop 65) exists?
What happens when you take blood from people before and then again four hours after almond consumption, and drip that blood on bone cells?
What about the studies that show a “u-shaped curve,” where too much sodium is bad, but too little may be bad too?
What is the optimal daily dietary calcium intake and might benefits for your bones outweigh the risks to your heart from taking calcium supplements?
The unnaturally large, rapid, and sustained calcium levels in the blood caused by calcium supplements may explain why calcium from supplements, but not from food, appears to increase the risk of heart attacks.
What effect does coffee and tea consumption have on longevity, cancer risk, GERD reflux, bone fractures, glaucoma, sleep quality, and atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat)?
Dr. Greger has scoured the world’s scholarly literature on clinical nutrition and developed this new presentation based on the latest in cutting edge research exploring the role diet may play in preventing, arresting, and even reversing some of our most feared causes of death and disability.
Endocrine-disrupting industrial toxins in the aquatic food chain may affect genital development of boys and sexual function in men.
The galactose in milk may explain why milk consumption is associated with significantly higher risk of hip fractures, cancer, and premature death.
The majority of polyphenol phytonutrients may be bound to fiber, helping to explain the marked difference in health impacts between whole fruit and fruit juice.
Legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, beans and split peas may reduce cholesterol so much that consumers may be able to get off their cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, but to profoundly alter heart disease risk we may have to more profoundly alter our diet.
A bacteria discovered on Easter Island may hold the key to the proverbial fountain of youth by producing rapamycin, which inhibits the engine-of-aging enzyme TOR.