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From: rkj@ides.UUCP (Rick Janka)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: Info. Request re Calcium Diet Suplement
Message-ID: <169@ides.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 20-Mar-86 12:37:42 EST
Article-I.D.: ides.169
Posted: Thu Mar 20 12:37:42 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Mar-86 00:02:29 EST
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> Can anyone give advice on the best way to obtain calcium.

I have recently heard and read a different point of view on what seems to
be a great increase in calcium deficiency in Americans.  Rather than
viewing this phenomenon as a deficiency in calcium intake, there appears
to be growing evidence that the problem is instead a loss of calcium 
ingested as a result of the body's metabolizing excess protein.

I read about this in a book called "The McDouggal Plan" by Dr. John
McDouggal, who has just now published another book called "McDouggal's 
Medicine", or something like that.  His primary thesis is that the "ideal"
diet we have been taught, meat, eggs, milk, cheese, is pretty bad.
Besides the high amount of fat and possibly cancer-causing agents contained
in these foods derived from animals, their consumption also results in an
"overdose" of protein, i.e. much more protein that the body needs.  Since
the body cannot store excess protein like it can fat and carbohydrate, it
must break it down and excrete it.  This metabolic process seems to result
in the concomitant excretion of calcium.

While in general I did not think McDouggal does not write that well, his
book (at least the first one I mentioned) does contain a wealth of
references to the medical and nutritional literature.

rick janka
ihnp4!ides!rkj