11. BONE MEAL AND
DOLOMITE
Phosphorus, the practically forgotten mineral, can make the
difference between healthy and decaying teeth, it was recently
reported to a meeting of the American Institute of Oral Biology
by Dr. Robert S. Harris, the
brilliant nutritionist of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It has long been known, of
course, that phosphorus is one of the dietary essentials,
required in substantial amounts in everyone's food consumption.
But it has also long been taken for granted that everybody gets
enough phosphorus in his daily diet. Consequently there has been
little investigation of the metabolic roles of this mineral and
even less is known about how much of it is required for optimal
intake.
It came as something of a bombshell among the oral biologists,
therefore, when Dr. Harris Pointed out that on the basis of
extensive studies he has made to date, the phosphorus content of
the average diet would have to be doubled to achieve the maximum
beneficial effect of this mineral on the teeth. "This is really
not excessive," he pointed out, "for one would have to triple the
phosphorus content of white flour and white rice to raise the
phosphorus to whole cereal levels."
Grains Stripped of Minerals
This is no more than a restatement and confirmation from a top
scientist of something that Prevention has been telling its readers far 15
years. With regard to the refining of grain, we have concentrated
more on the loss of vitamin E than the depletion of minerals,
simply because vitamin E is so hard to obtain from other sources.
But we have frequently taken care to point out that such
essential minerals as phosphorus, and magnesium as well, are
stripped away from grains when flour and cereals are made,
leaving the foods empty of everything but carbohydrate calories
without the minerals and vitamins needed to metabolize them
properly. What was new and extremely important about Dr. Harris'
paper was that it gave us additional information reinforcing our
growing belief that phosphorus plays its chief role in relation
to other minerals, and that without enough phosphorus in the
system, none of the other important minerals will be efficiently
utilized.
Dr. Harris pointed out that, as far as he could determine,
phosphorus reduces caries by an initial demineralizing and a
subsequent remineralizing of the tooth, in the course of which
its mineral structure is altered, becoming far stronger and more
resistant to the causes of decay. As such studies emerge, it
becomes more and more likely they will reveal that much of our
health depends on the ability of phosphorus to attract other
minerals and bond itself to them into compounds known as
phosphates. It has long been known that calcium phosphate is
readily absorbed into the system, while calcium alone is not.
That is why we have long encouraged the use of bone meal, in
which calcium and phosphorus occur as a phosphated compound in
the exact proportions in which bone can best use them, in
preference to any other dietary or pharmaceutical source of
calcium. But now it seems evident that phosphorus is related not
only to the proper utilization of calcium, but also to the
utilization of every mineral that is important to the health of
our bodies.
We recently received a letter from Charles B. Branson, D.D.S., a dental investigator
in Greeley, Colorado, discussing the great need for all of us to
have more phosphorus. Among many data that his letter presents,
Dr. Branson points out that as early as the 11th edition of the
Encyclopedia Britannica, which dates back to
the 1920's, it was already known that phosphorus deficiency is found in rickets, in nervous
ailments, in impotency, in paralysis agitans, locomotor ataxia,
chronic eczema, diabetes, acne indurata and lymphadenoma. This
does not mean that all these afflictions are caused directly by a
phosphorus deficiency. But it may very well mean that they are
caused by a deficiency in one or more other minerals or nutrients
that cannot be properly used by the human system when the
phosphorus supply is inadequate.
Fundamental Phosphates
According to Dr. Branson's letter:
"Phosphorus not only plays a most fundamental role in the
building of both bones and teeth, but in the construction,
nourishment and the constant regeneration of the brain, the
nerves, the arteries, all organs, and even every individual
cell of the body. Furthermore, phosphorus plays a vital role in
the metabolism of all proteins, fats and all carbohydrates. It
appears to activate the vitamin and enzyme activity, even
forming co-enzymes in such metabolism. Phosphorus is a chemical
regulator of the bodily energy, storing energy and releasing
energy similar to an electric battery. Furthermore, phosphorus
serves as a transport in carrying nourishment to every cell,
through the phosphates existing in the blood-stream.
"Thus phosphorus appears to be the life essence in all seeds
and all sperm of plant and animal life respectively, as well as
all metabolism. When there is a serious deficiency of either
phosphorus or calcium, it is evident that not only may the
system draw upon the stored reserves within the bones for
supplying other more urgent needs elsewhere, but it may draw
calcium from the teeth as in caries; phosphorus from the
arteries as in hardening of the arteries; from the nerves to
thus result in nervous tensions and other nervous ailments; and
may lead to mental disturbances when the brain fails to obtain
a large proportion of phosphorus.
"It thus appears that where there is an adequate level of
such phosphorus available with a calcium balance, regeneration
of all cells and all tissues proceed normally; but in absence
of such an adequate level, faulty metabolism and degeneration
may then tend to occur in humans as well as in plant and animal
life as disclosed by agricultural scientists."
Dr. Branson is undoubtedly right so far as his information
goes. We believe, however, that he may be oversimplifying in
limiting the various states of health or degeneration that he has
specified to the condition of the calcium-phosphorus balance.
This particular balance is enormously important, as we have been
telling the world for 15 years. It is not, however, the sum total
of our mineral needs.
Magnesium
With regard to the teeth, there are many studies that show the
importance of minerals other than phosphorus for the strength and
caries resistance of teeth. The study of Dr. Robert Harris,
quoted above, indicated as much when he pointed out that
phosphorus has its beneficial effect by modifying the mineral
structure of the tooth. It is quite conceivable that the
phosphorus itself is not even of basic importance in the tooth
structure and that its true role is entirely connected with its
faculty of bonding itself to other minerals and thus encouraging
their incorporation in body structures that otherwise would
reject them. There is very good reason to believe that the most
important single mineral directly concerned with the strength of
the tooth structure is magnesium. We have already described a
report of some dental investigations made in New Zealand at the
University of Otago and reported
in Nature (April 29,
1961).
In the study cited, it
was shown that a group of caries
resistant teeth contained on the average twice as much magnesium
as those in a comparable group that were caries-prone. There can
be little doubt that it was actually the magnesium that
strengthened the teeth, yet the magnesium could not have gotten
into the teeth to strengthen them if it had not been transported
by being bonded to the alkaline phosphate.
Calcium, which is the primary mineral in teeth, is also
dependent on phosphorus. When there is a phosphorus deficiency,
the teeth tend to decalcify. Additional replacement calcium can
be carried into the teeth, but only when bonded to
phosphorus.
Thus we see that for the best possible tooth health, we must
consider a number of trace minerals and also the primary mineral
triad, calcium-magnesium-phosphorus. These minerals are so
interdependent on one another that a copious supply of any one of
them will automatically create a deficiency in the other two,
unless the other two are equally well supplied in the diet.
And yet, as complex as this nutrition problem may sound, it is
really a simple one. By taking supplements of bone meal, we can
get a rich supply of every single mineral that our health
requires, although not quite enough magnesium. When we add dolomite tablets to the bone meal, we are
gaining still more calcium but a calcium that this time is
extremely rich in magnesium. In this simple way we can assure
ourselves of an ample supply of every mineral required in our
diets, in the proper proportions and able to undergo the proper
complexing operations, for the health of our teeth, our bones,
and all of our soft tissues as well. What could be easier, or
bring greater rewards?
NEXT CHAPTER:
Chapter 12. Cholesterol
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