2017年7月26日(水)
The garage door slams behind me as I hear
The garage door slams behind me as I hear the echo of my own words returning from the dark and empty halls of my house; "Honey, I'm home!"...(home)...(home). During the following moments of silence, the ritual begins, once again, for another evening of bachelorhood as I instinctively negotiate the unseen obstacles and reach for the light.
When you have lived alone as long as I have, you find ways to entertain yourself and pretend that you are not quite so alone. I'm sure others have their own routines. For me, it means immediately targeting the TV remote, partly for the background noise and partly so that I have someone/something to talk to/at. Fortunately, I have not lived alone so long that I think the TV talks back to me... yet.
On this particular night in February, 2006, one of the national news programs is on as I neatly hang my jacket (okay... I actually toss it on the chair) and wander back into the kitchen to ponder my dinner options. I have my head stuck in the ?fridge listening over my shoulder to the anchor-dude talk about one crisis or another as I am sniffing expiration dates for freshness on packages that are trying to scurry to the back of the shelf. As I reach for the "mystery pot" (a leftover remnant from Thanksgiving... 2004) I hear the unmistakable voice of the anchor-dude projecting well above the subtle sound of the throaty growl emanating from the pot:
" Researchers conclude that calcium supplements have no effect on women with osteoporosis."
BANG! "Ouch!" "What!?!"... (what)...(what)
That was my introduction to the news regarding the widely publicized results on the long-term calcium studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine (Vol. 354, pp. 669-683). Last month, in my article Calcium: Another Perspective - Part 1, I suggested a broader view of the study results. When something is being publicized that does not make sense, it never hurts to step back and try "reading between the lines";. Also, I mentioned two dimensions that can influence a health condition: Lifestyle and Environmental dimensions. The topic of calcium supplementation is an excellent example of the effect of modern influences on a health supplement program.
As I stood in front of the TV rubbing the back of my head, I was growing increasingly frustrated listening to the over-simplified statements being delivered to millions of viewers around the country. I was thinking how remarkably irresponsible it is to take a watered-down piece of the study results and present them as being some sort of proof that calcium does not do any good. At the same time, I was thinking what a wonderful example this will be to show how study results can too often be manipulated to suit some other agenda. And I could just feel it in my bones (no pun intended) that there was much more to this story that was not being shared.
A few days later, after having the opportunity to review the study in detail, some issues became apparent. I know there are many others who had very similar reactions, although, perhaps not while grappling with a new life form in their kitchen.
To repeat a point from Calcium:Part 1, there is no such thing as a magic bullet when it comes to preventing, or reversing, osteoporosis. This is not a trivial problem, and I have become just as frustrated in the past when I heard a "professional" suggesting that the solution to prevent this condition is to supplement a diet with calcium. Both perspectives are equally absurd.
As any problem that is considered complex, there are many factors that affect it. And this is the basic complaint I have about the results of the study as they were publicized. There is no indication suggesting the study coordinators have accounted for numerous Lifestyle and Environmental dimension factors.
I am not going to attempt to cover every factor that could be discussed within either dimension. I will only mention a few of the most compelling points. And if you need a review of the definition of the two dimensions, you can find those in Calcium:Part 1.
We know that for several decades, women have been encouraged to consume additional calcium to prevent osteoporosis, yet the rates of occurrence continue to accelerate. And we know this is an issue mostly affecting modern cultures, especially the U.S. population. We also know,from bone density analysis (actually indicated in the study), that women who *consistently* take their calcium supplements *do* show the benefit of healthier bones. So, what other factors are present to either increase the withdrawal of calcium from the body, or reduce the absorption of calcium being taken into the body?
Within the Lifestyle dimension, well-known negative factors are the consumption of soft drinks (especially diet forms), caffeine, alcohol, diet of excess protein and sugar... basically anything that contributes to an acidic effect on the body. This will cause calcium to be drawn from the bones as a buffering agent. Cigarette smoking should also be mentioned since this has a negative impact on osteoclast/osteoblast cells responsible for maintaining healthy bone mass. It is also worth mentioning that soft drinks are high in phosphorous, raising levels in the blood, and since the body needs to maintain equal levels of calcium and phosphorous in the blood, more calcium will be pulled from the bones to make up the deficit.
When you have lived alone as long as I have, you find ways to entertain yourself and pretend that you are not quite so alone. I'm sure others have their own routines. For me, it means immediately targeting the TV remote, partly for the background noise and partly so that I have someone/something to talk to/at. Fortunately, I have not lived alone so long that I think the TV talks back to me... yet.
On this particular night in February, 2006, one of the national news programs is on as I neatly hang my jacket (okay... I actually toss it on the chair) and wander back into the kitchen to ponder my dinner options. I have my head stuck in the ?fridge listening over my shoulder to the anchor-dude talk about one crisis or another as I am sniffing expiration dates for freshness on packages that are trying to scurry to the back of the shelf. As I reach for the "mystery pot" (a leftover remnant from Thanksgiving... 2004) I hear the unmistakable voice of the anchor-dude projecting well above the subtle sound of the throaty growl emanating from the pot:
" Researchers conclude that calcium supplements have no effect on women with osteoporosis."
BANG! "Ouch!" "What!?!"... (what)...(what)
That was my introduction to the news regarding the widely publicized results on the long-term calcium studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine (Vol. 354, pp. 669-683). Last month, in my article Calcium: Another Perspective - Part 1, I suggested a broader view of the study results. When something is being publicized that does not make sense, it never hurts to step back and try "reading between the lines";. Also, I mentioned two dimensions that can influence a health condition: Lifestyle and Environmental dimensions. The topic of calcium supplementation is an excellent example of the effect of modern influences on a health supplement program.
As I stood in front of the TV rubbing the back of my head, I was growing increasingly frustrated listening to the over-simplified statements being delivered to millions of viewers around the country. I was thinking how remarkably irresponsible it is to take a watered-down piece of the study results and present them as being some sort of proof that calcium does not do any good. At the same time, I was thinking what a wonderful example this will be to show how study results can too often be manipulated to suit some other agenda. And I could just feel it in my bones (no pun intended) that there was much more to this story that was not being shared.
A few days later, after having the opportunity to review the study in detail, some issues became apparent. I know there are many others who had very similar reactions, although, perhaps not while grappling with a new life form in their kitchen.
To repeat a point from Calcium:Part 1, there is no such thing as a magic bullet when it comes to preventing, or reversing, osteoporosis. This is not a trivial problem, and I have become just as frustrated in the past when I heard a "professional" suggesting that the solution to prevent this condition is to supplement a diet with calcium. Both perspectives are equally absurd.
As any problem that is considered complex, there are many factors that affect it. And this is the basic complaint I have about the results of the study as they were publicized. There is no indication suggesting the study coordinators have accounted for numerous Lifestyle and Environmental dimension factors.
I am not going to attempt to cover every factor that could be discussed within either dimension. I will only mention a few of the most compelling points. And if you need a review of the definition of the two dimensions, you can find those in Calcium:Part 1.
We know that for several decades, women have been encouraged to consume additional calcium to prevent osteoporosis, yet the rates of occurrence continue to accelerate. And we know this is an issue mostly affecting modern cultures, especially the U.S. population. We also know,from bone density analysis (actually indicated in the study), that women who *consistently* take their calcium supplements *do* show the benefit of healthier bones. So, what other factors are present to either increase the withdrawal of calcium from the body, or reduce the absorption of calcium being taken into the body?
Within the Lifestyle dimension, well-known negative factors are the consumption of soft drinks (especially diet forms), caffeine, alcohol, diet of excess protein and sugar... basically anything that contributes to an acidic effect on the body. This will cause calcium to be drawn from the bones as a buffering agent. Cigarette smoking should also be mentioned since this has a negative impact on osteoclast/osteoblast cells responsible for maintaining healthy bone mass. It is also worth mentioning that soft drinks are high in phosphorous, raising levels in the blood, and since the body needs to maintain equal levels of calcium and phosphorous in the blood, more calcium will be pulled from the bones to make up the deficit.
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