Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Low-carb diet didn't compromise calcium

One of the many myths perpetuated about the low-carb way of life is that calcium is depleted quickly, and not absorbed easily. This small study shows the fallacy of this idea.

Low-carb diet didn't compromise calcium
BY LINDA SEARING
Special to the Washington Post
The question: Following a diet that's low in carbohydrates and high in protein and animal fats tends to make people excrete more calcium and absorb less of it, leading some to surmise that the bones will suffer. Does this hold true?

This study assigned 30 overweight adults, mostly women, to adhere to a strict low-carb diet or a normal American diet that had no food restrictions. The low-carb group consumed fewer than 20 grams of carbohydrates a day for a month and then no more than 40 grams daily. After three months, the low-carb group lost an average of 14 pounds, and the others lost two pounds. Based on blood tests that revealed biochemical indicators of bone makeup, the participants had, in essence, the same rate of bone turnover, meaning their bodies continued to lose and replace bone at a normal pace.


Read the rest here...

I like the fact that this study was funded by Procter & Gamble, which produces a prescription drug to treat the bone loss of osteoporosis. So there can be no accusations of skewed results or ulterior motives behind this study. Instead of coming out in favor the the manufacturer, it was the opposite. It's nice to see a study that doesn't recommend medicine to help something that can easily be taken care of with a healthy diet, such as low-carb.

No comments: