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It
is easy to think of your bones as hard, lifeless parts of the body but, a bone
is a living, growing tissue. Throughout life, bone is constantly breaking down
and being rebuilt. A number of factors affect bone rebuilding including hormones,
the amount of calcium in the body, and exercise.
When we are young, new bone is added to the skeleton faster than old bone is removed. Most bone growth is between the ages of 8 and 18. Peak bone mass usually occurs between ages 20 and 30. From then on, bone is removed faster than it can be rebuilt. This can lead to fragile bones, placing us at risk for osteoporosis. Osteoporosis causes bone fragility, pain, fracture, disability, and even death associated with complications from fractures.
At menopause, women have a decline in the hormone estrogen and begin losing bone mass more rapidly. For the first 5 to 10 years of menopause, women lose bone rapidly. The rate of loss slows down after that to equal the rate of bone loss in men. Osteoporosis is not an exclusively female condition as is often thought. Although the condition is more frequent among women with 13-18% of women over 50 developing osteoporosis, and 50% of women over 70 years, up to 20% of men will also be affected.
Osteoporosis is one of the most preventable bone diseases. Thanks to years of research, scientists have discovered many of the underlying causes of osteoporosis and some of the steps that can be taken to prevent the disease and avoid its potentially serious complications, such as bone fractures.
The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calcium for adults over 24 years is only 800 mg; however, the National Academy of Science suggests that all adults consume 1200 mg of calcium per day. Some experts recommend up to 2000 mg daily for postmenopausal women. The optimal calcium intake for every person varies based on personal needs and must be individualized.
Adding
Calcium Rich Foods to Your Diet
Most Americans do not achieve the
RDA of calcium because of misconceptions about which foods are calcium rich. A
single 8 oz glass of whole milk contains only 288 mg of calcium. When was the
last time you had more than one glass of milk in a day? But, achieving the RDA
of calcium is not very hard to do if you add calcium rich foods such as milk,
cheese, green leafy vegetables, and almonds to your diet.
To get a better understanding of how to utilize calcium rich foods on a daily basis, look at this sample daily diet:
| Food | Calcium (mg) |
| 1 cup whole milk (8 oz) | 288 |
| 2 slices raisin bread | 36 |
| 2 scrambled eggs | 90 |
| 1/2 grapefruit | 15 |
| 2 slices whole grain bread | 23 |
| 2 oz Swiss cheese | 502 |
| 3 oz turkey breast slices | 9 |
| 1 tbsp mayonnaise | 6 |
| 1 cup grapes | 16 |
| 1/2 breast broiled chicken | 23 |
| 1 baked potato | 14 |
| 1 tbsp butter | 3 |
| 1.5 cups spinach salad (spinach, tomato, cucumber, Italian dressing) | 82 |
| 1 cup cream of chicken soup (prepared with milk) | 172 |
You can easily increase your daily intake of calcium rich foods without making dramatic changes.
The search for a cure to osteoporosis is still ongoing. But, lifestyle changes, including proper nutrition, exercise, and possibly hormone supplementation can help prevent the onset of osteoporosis.
Your body regulates the mineral levels in your blood. If a person has a calcium deficiency, the bones give off calcium to maintain the amounts needed in the blood for other body functions, such as heart muscle stimulation and nerve impulse transmission. Too much phosphorus from carbonated beverages, fast foods, meat, and preservatives can contribute to calcium deficiency by lowering the blood calcium.
Bone density is lost when a woman experiences menopause. Decreased hormone levels affect the calcium balance in the blood and results in bone loss. Because some vitamins may interfere with certain medicines, before taking any vitamin or mineral supplements, talk with your health care practitioner about the effectiveness and viability of dietary supplementation for your situation.
Endocrine disorders can be found in both male or female patients. The endocrine system controls the levels of the hormone calcitonin, which, affects the level of calcium in the body.
Kidney injuries or malfunction, vitamin deficiencies, and steroid use are also known causes of osteoporosis.
Dietary calcium is by far the best, but it can be difficult to get all you need just from the foods you eat. This is where calcium supplements are useful.
While there are many calcium supplements are available, research has shown that not all supplements contain comparable amounts of elemental calcium. Gluconate-based supplements only contain 9% of the calcium element, whereas calcium carbonate contains approximately 40%. So, be sure to read your labels! This is how the different types measure up.
Vitamin A: Necessary for normal bone remodeling. In people with a vitamin A deficiency, new bone forms faster than old bone can be removed and abnormal bone formation occurs. Milk, eggs and organ meat, especially liver, are good sources of vitamin A.
Vitamin B6: Necessary for the absorption of useful minerals from dietary calcium sources. Red meat, fish and poultry are sources of dietary vitamin B6.
Vitamin C: Promotes the formation of collagen, which is used in organic bone matrix formation, and aids in the synthesis of structural proteins found in bone. Well-known sources of vitamin C are citrus fruits; other sources include deep green leafy vegetables and potatoes. Vitamin C in fresh foods is destroyed by light, oxygen and heat. Vitamin C supplements can be added to a diet that does not meet the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of 65 to 80 mg. Some sources recommend a daily intake of 500 to 1000 mg. Taking mega-doses of vitamin C is a controversial issue and should be discussed with your physician.
Vitamin D: Even a slight decrease in vitamin D can contribute to osteoporosis. Vitamin D enhances the uptake of calcium in the intestines thereby allowing more calcium to be available for deposition into bones. Women concerned about bone density and calcium supplements should ensure their intake of vitamin D is adequate. Egg yolks, liver and fortified milk are good dietary sources of vitamin D.
Normally, the kidney activates vitamin D from a precursor synthesized in the skin in a reaction involving sunlight. Reduced exposure to the sun can inadvertently contribute to vitamin D deficiency, with subsequent bone damage. Such conditions have been described, and are referred to as "rickets" when observed in children, and "osteomalacia" when observed in adults. When the cause of the deficiency is a poorly functioning kidney, the associated bone weakening is referred to as "renal osteodystrophy".
The National Academy of Sciences recommends 200 to 400 international units (IU) per day of vitamin D. Women over 70 should take up to 600 IU. One good source of vitamin D is milk, which is often fortified with both vitamins D and A.
Vitamin K: Required for normal bone metabolism. The RDA of vitamin K for women is 65 micrograms a day. Vitamin K is found in green leafy vegetables, which are also a good source for calcium, and many other foods. Research shows that women who take a sufficient daily amount of vitamin K are less likely to suffer hip fractures
Not all of the calcium that is found naturally in foods or provided in supplements is absorbed into the body. Taking small amounts of calcium at a time, rather than your entire daily requirement at one time, can help increase absorption. Vitamin D helps increase absorption of calcium rich foods and calcium supplements. It is estimated that the maximum dose of calcium that can be absorbed at one time is 500 mg.
Another thing to consider is that sufficient stomach acid is required for adequate calcium absorption. Therefore, supplements should be taken towards the end of a meal when the pH of the stomach is optimal.
There are multiple risk factors for developing osteoporosis. Some are not under our control including: