Bone up on Calcium for World Osteoporosis Day (October 20)
Viva!Health believes the best thing anyone can do to increase valuable calcium levels to help prevent the disease, is to move towards a nutritious plant-based diet instead of relying on dairy products. As part of World Osteoporosis Day, people can download their factsheet Boning Up On Calcium from their website vivahealth.org.uk/bones/calcium-fact-sheet for free. Osteoporosis (meaning porous bones) occurs when calcium is lost from the bones and they become more fragile and prone to fracture. Viva!Health health campaigner Veronika Charvatova says: “Although dairy products are high in calcium, it is bound with other minerals so that our bodies can’t digest it properly. On top of that, digestion of animal protein releases acids into the blood which the body attempts to neutralise by drawing calcium from the bones. This calcium is then excreted in the urine. Rather than wasting our calcium this way, we should change our eating habits.” “You can get enough easily digestible calcium from plant sources such as nuts and seeds (almonds, sesame seeds, Brazil nuts), dried fruits (figs and dates), green leafy vegetables (broccoli, kale, cabbage, watercress, etc.), lentils, beans, calcium-set tofu, olives, molasses and other calcium enriched foods such as soya milk. Plant-based foods are also high in nutrients and free from the cholesterol found in dairy,” adds Veronika. For more information about the advantages of gaining calcium through a plant-based diet, visit vivahealth.org.uk, or email info@vegetarian.org.uk.
For more information about this media release call press officer Helen Rossiter or Veronika Charvatova on 0117 970 5190 or email vvfpress@vegetarian.org.uk or veronika@vegetarian.org.uk. Out-of-hours media mobile: 07939 051351.
Notes to Editors
A number of scientific studies have revealed that dairy consumption is not helping in the prevention of osteoporosis and can in fact increase the risk of this disease. Viva!Health. Registered charity 1037486
References
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About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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