欧洲有一项研究称，水果比牛奶更能强壮骨骼。 研究人员评估了1345位12—15岁青少 年的营养习惯及骨质健康程 度，结果显示，喜欢吃 大量水果的女孩具有最强壮的骨质。

In Europe there has been a research announcement that fruit may, in fact, strengthen the skeleton more than milk. Researchers evaluated 1,345 teenagers with ages from 12 to 15 years old for nutrition habits and bone health. The results showed that girls who liked to eat large quantities of fruit had the strongest bones.

水果的钙含量很少，为什么能起到壮骨作用？对于中国人来说，这 项针对欧洲青少年的研究结果，是否有较强的借鉴意义？

The calcium content in fruits is low, so why does it strengthen bones? From a Chinese point of view, this opposes the European teen research results, so does this negate the significance of the work?

人体的内环境酸碱度必须维持高度稳定。有的食物 会让血液偏 酸，称为“成酸性食物”；有的却能让血液 偏碱， 称为“成碱性食物”。这两类食物只有保持恰当的平衡，才有利于人 体 内环境的稳定。

The degree of acidity versus alkalinity in the body's environment must be maintained at a stable level.  Some foods can cause blood to become acidic: these are called "acidic foods."  Some foods make blood alkali: these are called "alkali foods."  These two kinds of foods preserve an appropriate balance and have a beneficial stability for the body's internal environment.

鱼、肉、蛋、海鲜和精制米面都 是成酸性食品，而蔬菜、水果、海藻等属于成碱性食品， 牛奶、豆类和粗粮则具有微弱的成碱性。如 果食物中成碱性食品不足，而成 酸性食物过多， 超过了人体的缓冲能力，为了维持正常代谢，就不得不动用骨骼中的钙来中和酸性物质， 造成钙的大量流失，从而降低骨质密度。

Fish, meat, eggs, seafood and refined rice and wheat are all acidic foods, while vegetables, fruit, seaweed, etc are all alkali foods.  Milk, soy products, and coarse grains on the other hand have a weak alkali nature.  If food has no alkali ingredients but has abundant acid ingredients it can surpass the body's ability to buffer.  In order to preserve normal metabolism the body must use calcium from the skeleton and acid substances to replenish the amount of calcium, which reduces bone density.

水果是成碱性食品，多吃水果可以帮助人体维持骨骼的强度——上述研究结果正好证 明了这个理论。

Fruit is an alkali food, eating more fruit can help the body maintain skeleton strength —   the above mentioned research on fruit neatly proves this theory.

然而，中国国情与欧洲不同。西方人普遍大量食用乳制品，骨质密度不高的主要问题是钙吸收率不高、 钙流失较多。对他们来说，喝牛奶多一点或少一点，对骨质的 影响并不大。而另一方面，西方人吃蔬菜较少， 不善于烹调绿叶蔬菜， 较少吃豆类、藻类和蘑菇，多吃 水果成为他 们获得成碱性食品、减少 钙流失的主要途径。 相比 之下，中国人膳食中钙很少，也很少吃添加奶类的其他食品。喝不喝那一杯奶，对骨骼的健康意义就相当重大。 同时，中国人每天吃很多青菜，爱吃藻类和菌类，这 些都是良好的成碱性食品。所以，对中国人来说， 只要吃够了蔬菜、藻类和粗粮、豆类，水果吃多吃少，便不是那么重要。另外，一些最新研究已证实， 多吃绿叶菜 不仅能减少钙流失，还能提高骨骼强度，而这些好处是水果不能带来的。需要特别提醒的是： 在正常摄入三餐、营养素齐全的情况下，吃水果具有健康效果。如果每 天光吃水果、不吃或少吃其他食物， 钙摄入会严重不足，反而会降低骨质密度。现时夏日炎炎，不少追求苗条的女性“以果 代餐”， 殊不知会有导致骨质疏松的后患。

However, the conditions in in China and Europe are different. Western people commonly eat large quantities of dairy products and the main problem leading to low bone density is restrained calcium level and comparatively more calcium lost.  For them (Western people) drinking more milk - more or less - does not have a large effect on bone material. Also, another aspect is that Western people eat comparatively less vegetables, are not good at cooking green leaved vegetables, eat comparatively less beans and bean based products, seaweed and mushrooms.  Eating more fruit enables Western people to obtain alkali foods, reducing loss of calcium via an important channel.  By comparison, the calcium content in Chinese people's food is less and they also eat less other foods with diary additives. To drink or not drink that cup of milk is of equal importance for the skeleton's health.  At the same time, every day Chinese people eat a lot of green vegetables and like to eat varieties of seaweed and fungus, which are all good alkali foods.  So for Chinese people, if eating sufficient vegetables, varieties of seaweed, coarse grains and bean products, eating more or less fruit is less important.  In addition, some new research confirms that eating more green leaved vegetables not only reduces calcium loss but also is able to increase skeleton strength and these benefits are not added by fruit.  Specially needed reminders are: in regularly eat three meals, in a situation with a complete range of nutritious vegetables, eating fruit has an effect on health.  If one only ate fruit every day, not eating or eating little of anything else, calcium absorption would be seriously insufficient and would, in fact, decrease bone density.  At the present time, with sweltering summer days, many women pursuing youthful looks making "fruit will do as a meal", very much do not realize that it could lead to bone  ...