Does an alkaline diet with added blueberries increase your bone density?

June 28, 3:53 PMSacramento Nutrition ExaminerAnne Hart

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Should you be eating a low-acid diet for healthier bones? Scientific studies show that there's too much protein causing osteoporosis in the USA and Europe. The question is should you be eating a low-acid, higher alkaline diet for healthier bones? Scientific studies recommend eating seven to thirteen of vegetables and some fruits, but more vegetables than fruits.

Some people are born with a gene that makes vegetables taste bitter on the back of their tongue. Others don't taste any bitter qualities of vegetables. Children usually will let you know if they are tasting bitterness in vegetables. Those that don't taste bitterness in vegetables such as broccoli, usually eat more vegetables without protesting.

The minerals in fruits and vegetables in more than 100 studies showed improved bone mineral density in 85 percent of cases studied compared to 52 percent improvement of cases studied for persons taking calcium supplements, according to the article, "The Calcium Myth," by Michael Castleman, published in the August 2009 issue of Natural Solutions magazine.

The article notes the 16 nutrients needed for healthier bones. A largely animal-protein based diet is acidic. A largely vegetable and fruit diet is alkaline. That's the big picture--that a low acid diet helps prevent bone loss. The article emphasizes that meat and dairy contain five to 10 times more protein per serving than fruits and vegetables.

The alkaline materials from vegetables and fruits neutralizes some of the acids you get from eating animal protein. When your body has too much acid from eating animal proteins, your body draws calcium from your bone and dumps it into your bloodstream. That's how bone loss occurs from eating too much animal protein.

Dairy is acidic. If you drink milk and eat animal protein, include a lot more alkalizing foods--vegetables and fruits. Otherwise your acidic, high-protein diet will draw the calcium right out of your teeth and bones, causing bone loss.

According to Dr. Christopher's Herbal Legacy site, “American women have been consuming an average of two pounds of milk per day for their entire lives, yet thirty million American women have osteoporosis. Drinking milk does not prevent bone loss. Bone loss is accelerated by ingesting too much protein, and milk has been called 'liquid meat.'"

Also see the book, Building Bone Vitality McGraw Hill Professional (May 2009) by Amy J. Lanou, Ph.D and Michael Castleman. The book's overview notes, "Calcium pills don't work. Dairy products don't strengthen bones. Drugs may be dangerous." The answer is balance.

Interestingly, eating fresh blueberries is not as good as eating frozen or cooked blueberries because the oxalates in the fresh blueberries may interfere with the absorption of calcium from your body. But frozen blueberries don't have this problem.

Blueberries do protect against macular degeneration and bone loss. In recent studies, fruit intake has been shown to be definitely protective against the severe form of this vision-destroying disease.

The statements about blueberries being protective for your brain are true, but if you look at the studies, they were done on animals with the opinion that if blueberries prevent bone loss on rats, usually blueberries also will prevent bone loss with humans.

According to the World's Healthiest Foods site, the article posted there on blueberries notes that, "In laboratory animal studies, researchers have found that blueberries help protect the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effects of age-related conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Researchers found that diets rich in blueberries significantly improved both the learning capacity and motor skills of aging animals, making them mentally equivalent to much younger ones."

Bone Loss Prevention and Blueberries

Check out many medical and scientific articles at the Free Library by Farlex with more than five million articles and books. It's the anthocyanidins in the blueberries that help to recycle the rest of the vitamins in your body. Anti-inflammatory properties of blueberries work to strengthen your blood vessels.

Some of the blueberry studies on bone loss prevention were done on rats. To read more on the subject, see scientific and medical journal articles studying the effects of blueberries on preventing bone loss, such as the following: "Blueberry prevents bone loss in ovariectomized rat model of postmenopausal osteoporosis," Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 19:694-99, 2008.

Also see: "Phenolic compounds and antioxidant capcity of Georgia-grown blueberries and blackberries," Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry, 50: 2432-8, 2002. And also check out the article, "Potential role of dietary flavonoids in reducing microvascular endothelium vulnerability to oxidative and inflammatory insults," Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 13:282-8, 2002.

Blueberries and blackberries not only help prevent bone loss in animals (and hopefully in humans as well) but also cleanse your guts. If you have a choice, buy locally-grown blueberries.

Blackberries also are similar their effects. But they have those little seeds that are harder on your teeth. You can put blackberries in smoothies. Try a shake or smoothie in your blender using locally-grown and home-frozen organic blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and a banana.

Use a mixture of water and pomegranate or cherry juice for the liquid part of the smoothie and toss in a handful of raw almonds. What you're really trying to do with berries is repair cell membranes and prevent bone loss.

Before you jump to the conclusion that the studies were done with rats and don't apply to humans, think again. Blueberries really are good for the human body, including the brain, eyes, and bones, in moderation, of couse.

Just a quarter of a cup serving will do the job. You don't need to eat two cupfuls of blueberries daily. That's too much fruit sugar, resulting in a rush of insulin into your bloodstream. Less is more. Blueberries also make a great topping for other foods.

Photo credits: Flickr.com.