Potassium bicarbonate supplementation and calcium metabolism in postmenopausal women: are we barking up the wrong tree?

A recent study of postmenopausal women has shown that the administration of 60-120 mmol potassium bicarbonate can neutralize net acid excretion and significantly lower urinary calcium (Ca). The changes in urinary calcium loss were sufficient to improve calcium balance and skeletal metabolism in these subjects. However, the design of the study was such that the relevance of these findings to the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis is suspect.