Calcium, phosphorus, Vitamin D and a host of hormonal, dietary and emotional factors play a major role in the integrity of the locomotor system.
The delicate balance between these factors permits many things to go wrong in this system—for instance a deficiency in calcium will cause the entire matrix of the bone to become weaker, or an upset in the Calcium:Phosporus ratio/product can cause demineralization of the bone. Under normal circumstances, if we adhere to the norms of Nature this system operates beautifully and permits us to achieve our life's ambitions with the utmost ease.
However, when things go wrong, there are arthritis of various types like osteo-arthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), cervical and lumbar spondylosis, etc., osteoporosis (softening of bones) leading to pathological fractures of bones and resultant morbidity, osteomalacia and a host of other disorders. Correct type of food be consumed in order to maintain our bones and joints in a healthy condition.
Various studies conducted on vegetarians, lacto-ovovegetarians, and omnivores have concluded that there are too many factors affecting bone mineral metabolism and hence it is not possible to state dogmatically the superiority of any one nutritional lifestyle over another(Vegetarian or non-vegeterian).
However, the most important observation is that when sulphur-containing foods (e.g. meats) are consumed they change the pH of the blood. So also do the fried foods, sour foods and the spicy foods in our diet. But, meat has the strongest acid load owing to its rich sulphur content. This increases the acidity of the blood which, in turn, demineralizes bones. This leads to osteoporosis. Many surveys have demonstrated that post-menopausal women who are vegetarians have a higher bone mineral content as compared to their non-vegetarian (omnivorous) counter parts.
Furthermore, it has also been noticed that fried foods, spicy, oily foods, excessive meats and refined foods like sweets, confectionery, bread and other refined wheat products are the main incriminating factors in joint diseases. The kind of food leads to excess acid load in the blood which the kidneys are unable to cope with. Hence this acid causes inflammation of all joints.
In perspective, a vegetarian diet, which is rich in fibre and, in the uncooked form, contains a lot of vitamins and minerals proves very beneficial as it prevents constipation, removes toxic matter from the gastrointestinal tract, thereby preventing increased acidity of the blood. The increased amounts of minerals and vitamins in vegetarian foods contribute richly to the smooth functioning of bone metabolism. The acidity (sulphur related) of a non-vegetarian diet initiates and perpetuates bone demineralisation. In contrast the vegetarian diet which contains predominantly uncooked food doesn't have this disadvantage. However, fried foods, spicy foods and excessively sour foods—whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian are detrimental to bone and joint integrity.
It is a common conception that vegetarians lack calcium in their diet and as a result they suffer from bone demineralisation leading to osteoporosis and osteomalacia. This is not true in the case of a lacto-vegetarian because milk and its products are a very rich source of calcium which is easily available to man. Cottage cheese (also known as paneer, clabbered milk, kefir) and whey (the water obtained during the preparation of cottage cheese) are excellent calcium sources for a vegetarian and are much less toxic than the nonvegetarian sources of protein.
Analysis of the available data shows that vegetarian diets by virtue of their:
* High fibre content,
* Low acid content,
* High vitamin and mineral content,
are helpful in preventing and, to a certain extent, relieving the pain and progression of arthritis and bone demineralisation. Owing to the high fibre content vegetarians are rarely constipated and this helps a lot in healthy bone and joint metabolism. Furthermore the reduced acid load and increased vitamin and mineral content of vegetarian food makes it the preferred food for preventing joint and bone complications.
Vegetarian Sources of Calcium:
1. Milk: in order of preference
a. Goat's
b. Cow 's
c. Buffalo 's
2. Cottage cheese (paneer, clabbered rnilk)
3. Almonds
4. Pulses (though bound to phytate)
5. Seeds especially Sesame (Til), Sunflower
6. Cheddar Cheese
7. Swiss Cheese
8. Soya beans and their products like TOFU
Factors that Hinder or Block Calcium Absorption:
1. Foods containing oxalic acids. e.g. spinach, lotus stem, horsegram
2. Lack of Vit. D.
3. Overuse of proteins. e.g. excessive consumption of protein-rich foods like meat, fish, poultry, eggs, etc
4. Excessive use of common salt
5. Excessive use of alcohol
6. Excessive use of coffee
7. Excessive tobacco smoking
8. Excessive use of soft drinks containing phosphorus
9. Excessive use of fat
Finally, an analysis of the risk factors of osteoporosis shows that statistically vegetarians have a lesser risk of bone disease because of certain traits e.g. the decreased incidence of tobacco use, alcoholism, obesity, constipation and hormonal (especially oestrogen) imbalance amongst them.
Hence it is evident that vegetarian diets do offer substantial protection from bone and joint disease provided adequate care is taken to meet the daily calcium, protein and vitamin requirements.
Dr.K.T. Dholakia
source: http://www.bhj.org/