Osteoporosis and what you eat

Many put off thinking about osteoporosis, thinking they are too young or healthy and have never broken a bone. In reality, after age 30, bone mass begins to decline in both men and women.

Osteoporosis is a bone disease which can cause debilitating pain and skeletal deformation later in life. The good news? In some cases, osteoporosis can be preventable with appropriate eating, exercise, and potentially, vitamin and mineral supplementation.

Our bodies’ skeletal framework is an amazing feat of engineering — our bones allow us to stand and walk, they protect our insides (vital organs like heart and lungs), their marrow produces our red blood cells, and they are major storage for some minerals, like calcium. 

Calcium provides density and strength for our bones. And our bones act as a ‘bank account’ for calcium. During the first 30 years of life, calcium is deposited, but around age 30, we begin to see withdrawals, or a loss of calcium from our bones, taken to be utilized elsewhere within our body.

Our peak bone mass is mostly determined by our calcium intake, activity level, and weight leading up to age 30. Things like consuming alcohol, smoking, and insufficient exercise can inhibit calcium absorption and cause bones to deteriorate faster.

So, what can you do? Our bone ‘bank account’ works best with modest, consistent additions—taking high doses of calcium supplements doesn’t work and may cause kidney stones or other harmful effects. Instead start early, with focus on making sustainable changes, including.

Calcium supplements: If you are under 50 years of age, 1000 milligrams of calcium a day is recommended, increasing to 1,200 mg daily for women over 50 and men over 70.

Non-supplement forms of calcium include milk products, calcium-fortified milk substitutes, calcium-fortified cereals and juice, soy products such as tofu, dark leafy green vegetables, canned salmon, or sardines with the bones. Total calcium intake from diet and supplements is safest if it does not exceed 2000 mg daily for adults. Type, timing, and taking with or without certain foods, affects absorption. Too much calcium from less absorbable supplements can lead to kidney stones and other complications.

Vitamin D supplements: Depending on your age, around 600-800 international units of Vitamin D is recommended per day. Dietary sources of Vitamin D include cod liver oil, salmon, and Vitamin D-fortified milk, milk substitutes, yogurts, and cereals. Sunlight activates Vitamin D in our skin, but can be affected by where you live, your skin color, and how much sunscreen you wear. Vitamin D supplements up to 4000 IU are considered safe for most people.

Exercise: Weight-bearing and strength-training exercises are important to build and maintain bone density and strength. Weight-bearing exercises include hiking, jogging, and stair climbing, and strength-training exercises include movement against gravity/resistance like weight lifting, exercise bands, and body weight exercises.

Bone density testing: This low exposure x-ray test, called dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry is the only way to determine your bone density. Blood calcium levels are not indicative of your bone health. Talk to your care team about when and if you should get a bone density test.

This may feel daunting, but overall, taking the outlined steps to prevent osteoporosis can benefit your overall health and well-being. Start today.

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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October 20 is World Osteoporosis Day: Not just women; men too get affected by bone diseases

Bone diseases among women are a common occurrence, but of late these problems, especially osteoporosis, are fast affecting men, mostly after they turn 60, experts say.

"Osteoporosis, which was earlier associated with women, has now risen among men as well. The problem affects them mostly after they reach the age of 60 years and above," says a Dr.

Osteoporosis occurs when there is a loss in the peak bone mass and loss of calcium, leading to hip, knee and shoulder fractures.

Osteoporosis is ranked as the second most common health-related risk in the world after coronary heart disease. Around 93 % of women are aware of it, but of them, only 8 to 10 % know they have it.

It is estimated that there would be around 36 million people suffering from the disease by the end of 2013.

"The development of the bone mass occurs between the age of 15 to 25 years. However, these days, with changes in lifestyle, less physical activity leads to bone problems at a later age," he added.

Experts feel physical exercise should be done in the right manner, with focus on activities like jumping, running and walking.

"When one is jumping, the load falls on the body and it is useful in developing bone mass. The load should fall on the hand, knees, joints so that they grow stronger," said a Dr.

A deficiency of vitamin D and lack of mineral-rich food are the other causes of calcium loss in the bones. For this, doctors advise exposure to sun.

Similarly, people suffering from arthritis, liver diseases or who sweat excessively too are prone to bone diseases, doctors said.

"The patients who are on steroids should stop this if they are diagnosed with osteoporosis. Patients who are on long-term medication for conditions like epilepsy should also immediately consult doctors as the steroids for these diseases lead to tremendous calcium loss in the bones," he added.

Ironically, the symptoms of osteoporosis are present in the body long before one gets to know about the problem. And the realization comes when the bones start fracturing.

"Some fractures may escape detection for years. The patients may not be aware of their osteoporosis problem until they suffer painful fractures so we strictly advise people above the age of 35 years to go for a routine bone density check up, " said a senior orthopedic and joint replacement surgeon.

Doctors said as part of the ageing process, both men and women lose their bone density by 0.3 to 0.5 % after the age of 35.

"People who consume alcohol and smoke cigarettes (which are high calcium stealers) run a higher risk of acquiring bone diseases. Quitting is the best option than to suffer from fractures later in life," he added.

With physiotherapy being the treatment for osteoporosis, many rehabilitation centres have come up in the capital to provide effective treatment.

"The services that we offer are orthopedic rehabilitation, back-and-neck pain therapy, pain management, medical fitness and osteoporosis program," said a team of experienced and certified medical professionals.

In sum, doctors said that both men and women should exercise and eat healthy to avoid bone diseases at a later stage.

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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