Fact of the Day More Information As a people who mainly (if not exclusively) eat meat, it doesn't come as much of a shocker to find out that they often eat things like some fish bone-and-all. Getting past the fact that they are cool with what most may see as a choking hazard and/or internal mutilation, one may assume that they receive an ample amount of calcium on a regular basis. They do, some ingest about 2500mg per day or 5 times the American average.
There is a falsehood in the meaning behind the word Eskimo which is directly related to these eating habits. People have falsely assumed that Eskimo meant "eaters of raw flesh" because of some etymological screw up in the past. The new verdict amongst wordsmiths is that it actually means "those who net and tie snowshoes."
So, now to get to the osteoporosis part. Oddly enough, these same bone ingesting eskimos are at most risk for osteoporosis (a.k.a. a bone calcium deficiency). This is because in high [muscle] protein diets like theirs, the body's pH becomes unbalanced due to the excessive sulphur content in such meats. How does the body balance the pH and rid itself of sulphur, you ask? By taking calcium from the bones. This calcium is then sent to be excreted and over time, it's build up on the way out will cause kidney stones.
This is what happens to people on the Atkins Diet. It is also known that these type of eating habits are linked to cardiac arrest, adding to the rumors that Dr. Atkins suffered heart attacks from his claim-to-fame diet.
"Atkins Facts - "Eaters of Raw Flesh"." Atkins Facts - Atkins "Nightmare" Diet. 15 Mar. 2004. 21 Feb. 2009 .
"Atkins Facts - Peeing Your Bones Down the Toilet." Atkins Facts - Atkins "Nightmare" Diet. 15 Mar. 2004. 21 Feb. 2009 .
"Fanatic Cook: High Prevalence of Osteoporosis Among Alaskan Eskimos." Fanatic Cook. 4 Apr. 2008. 21 Feb. 2009 .
Fitzsimons, Dina. "Why Milk Won't Prevent Osteoporosis." Osteoporosis. 21 Feb. 2009 .
"snopes.com: Dr. Robert Atkins' Death." snopes.com: Urban Legends Reference Pages. 15 Mar. 2004. 21 Feb. 2009 . View All Facts View Images View Maps Blog
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