Prevent Bone Loss and Osteoporosis With Sodium and Potassium Bicarbonate

Eating and drinking an alkaline diet of fresh fruit and vegetables can reduce calcium excretion and boost bone health, says a new study.

Diets high in acidic protein and cereal grain produce an excess of acid residue in the body, which can increase calcium excretion, according to results to be published in the January issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

"When it comes to dietary concerns regarding bone health, calcium and vitamin D have received the most attention, but there is increasing evidence that the acid/base balance of the diet is also important," said lead author Bess Dawson-Hughes from Tufts University in Boston.

Bone health is becoming a major segment of the supplements and functional foods market, as ageing populations and the additional strain from acid caused obesity swell the numbers affected by the symptom of osteoporosis. Already the lifetime risk for a woman to have an osteoporotic fracture is 30-40 per cent and in men the risk is about 13 per cent.

"As adults age they become less able to excrete the acid produced via environment, diet, and metabolism," states Dr. Robert O. Young, Director of the pH Miracle Living Center.

"Reacting to the increasing levels of dietary and metabolic acid, the body counters this by bone resorption, a process by which bones are broken down, releasing minerals such as calcium, phosphates, and alkaline (basic) salts into the blood to keep it alkaline at 7.364. Bone resorption weakens the bones and increases the risk of fracture," states Dr. Young.

Tufts researchers, in collaboration with scientists from Northeastern University in Boston, recruited 171 men and women aged 50 or older and randomly assigned them to receive supplements of potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium chloride or placebo for three months.

Dawson-Hughes and her co-workers report that only bicarbonate-receiving volunteers had significant reductions in calcium excretion, which indicated a reduction in bone resorption.

"When fruit and vegetables are metabolized they add bicarbonate, an alkaline compound, to the body," said Dr. Dawson Hughes. "Our study found that bicarbonate had a favorable effect on bone resorption and calcium excretion. This suggests that increasing the alkali content of the diet may attenuate bone loss in healthy older adults."

"Achieving alkali-producing diets would require drastic changes in food choices and be challenging in older people who tend to have long-established dietary patterns," wrote the researchers.

"Should it be shown to be beneficial, an alternative approach may be to administer bicarbonate in supplement form or to lower the acid-producing capacity of selected foods through alkali fortification," they added.

"I created the nutritional supplement, pHour salts to help maintain the alkaline design of the body and to protect the bones and muscles from the acidic affects of an acidic lifestyle and diet. pHour salts is a combination of sodium, magnesium, potassium and calcium bicarbonate mineral salts. These four mineral salts are powerful alkalizing compounds in the body. The alkali affect in the blood and tissues will show up when you test your urine. The urine pH will show over 8 which indicates an alkaline state of the body tissues. Keeping the body alkaline is the best way to slow down aging and prevent dis-ease, including bone loss and the condition of osteoporosis," states Dr. Young.

To learn more about the alkaline benefits of pHour salts go to:

http://www.phmiracleliving.com/p-221-phour-salts-tm-454-grams.aspx

http://newsarticlesofhealth.blogspot.com/2008/12/83-reasons-and-ways-to-use-phour-salts.html

Resource:

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
January 2009, doi:10.1210/jc.2008-1662
"Treatment with Potassium Bicarbonate Lowers Calcium Excretion and Bone Resorption in Older Men and Women"
Authors: B. Dawson-Hughes, S.S. Harris, N.J. Palermo, C. Castaneda-Sceppa, H.M. Rasmussen, G.E. Dallal