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WHO Calcium Recommendations | Animal Protein Aggravates Kidney Problems |

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PCRM Breaking Medical News 3/16/03

WHO Calcium Recommendations: Just 400-500 mg Daily

In sharp contrast to ever-escalating calcium recommendations issued by U.S. authorities, a World Health Organization panel has called for a daily minimal intake of just 400-500 mg-and that only applies to older adults in countries with high fracture rates. The panel issued no minimal recommended intakes for countries with low fracture rates.

The panel cited "the calcium paradox"-that hip fracture rates are high in developed countries where calcium intake is also high and low in countries where calcium intake is lower. The reason seems to be protein. The panel reported that "accumulated data indicate the possibility that the adverse effect of protein, in particular animal (but not vegetable) protein, might outweigh the positive effect of calcium intake in calcium balance."

To prevent fractures, the panel also called for vitamin D supplementation of 5-10 mcg per day if sun exposure is limited, along with increased physical activity, reduced sodium intake, increased fruit and vegetable intake, maintenance of a healthy body weight, avoiding tobacco, and limiting alcohol use. Other sections of the report cover other major diseases.

The findings resonate with those from Harvard University's Nurses' Health Study, which included 72,337 postmenopausal women. After 18 years of follow-up, neither milk nor a high-calcium diet reduced fracture risk. Vitamin D, on the other hand, did help: Women consuming at least 12.5 mcg of vitamin D daily in food or supplements had a 37% reduction in fracture risk.

Here are the references:

Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Diet, Nutrition, and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases. WHO Technical Report Series 916: World Health Organization, Geneva, 2003.

Feskanich D, Willett WC, Colditz GA. Calcium, vitamin D, milk consumption, and hip fractures: a prospective study among postmenopausal women.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2003;77:504-11.

PCRM Breaking Medical News 3/18/03

Animal Protein Aggravates Kidney Problems

Harvard researchers report in tomorrow's Annals of Internal Medicine that high-protein diets were associated with a significant decline in kidney function, based on observations in 1,624 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study. The good news is that the damage was found only in those who already had reduced kidney function at the study's outset. The bad news is that that group included as many as one in four study volunteers, suggesting that most people who have renal problems are unaware of that fact and do not realize that high-protein diets may put them at risk for further deterioration.

The kidney-damaging effect was seen only with animal protein. Plant protein had no harmful effect.

Here is the reference:

Knight EL, Stampfer MJ, Hankinson SE, Spiegelman D, Curhan GC. The Impact of Protein Intake on Renal Function Decline in Women with Normal Renal Function or Mild Renal Insufficiency Ann Int Med 2003;138:460-7.