Osteoporosis is the loss of bony tissue resulting in deformed and brittle bones. In osteoporosis the bones literally waste away as their mineral density is gradually lost, making them increasingly weak and fragile. This is a common cause of fractures in the elderly. Thinning of the bones leads to increased risk of fractures, particularly of the lumbar vertebrae, wrist, hip, shoulder and the femur, or thigh bone. It is possible to prevent and to treat osteoporosis. However, you must take action.
It is estimated that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 12 men over the age of 50 worldwide have osteoporosis. To appreciate who is at risk of developing osteoporosis, consider the following factors that are associated with the disease.
Older age Caucasian or Asian race Low levels of estrogen (for women) Low levels of testosterone (for men) Early menopause - before 45 years (either natural or surgical) In young women, later menstruation and menstruation that has stopped for more than six months Family history of hip replacements Low body weight and thin to small build A loss of height or stooped posture Unexplained back pain Lack of exercise now or as a child Disabilities Long-term bed rest Excessive exercise Cigarette smoking Previous bone fracture Long term medication, including:
o corticosteroids
o heparin
o thyroxin
o antacids
o antibiotics and antifungals
o aspirin
o cholesterol lowering drugs
o ulcer medications
High alcohol intake Diet that is low in calcium, zinc, vitamin D and magnesium High caffeine intake Eating disorders Chronic diseases of the kidney, lung, stomach and intestines, particularly malabsorption related conditions such as celiac disease.
What can you do to help prevent or treat osteoporosis?
An increased intake of magnesium, calcium and zinc may help prevent the worst effects of osteoporosis. These can be taken as a part of a good vitamin and mineral supplement as well as increasing the intake of foods that are high in these minerals. In particular it is important to have sufficient zinc.
Vitamin D is essential because it helps the body absorb calcium. You may have a vitamin D deficiency, perhaps because of inadequate exposure to sunlight, and this should be rectified by allowing 10 to 15 minutes of sunlight onto arms, legs or back daily, although the exact exposure requirements do vary depending on geographic latitude, darkness of skin and even air quality. You should take care never to burn. Do not take too much vitamin D. Taking high doses of vitamin D (10,000 to 50,000 IUs daily) may be harmful and a dose of 400 IUs per day is adequate for housebound elderly people.
Vitamin K is just as important as vitamin D for the absorption calcium. Many supplements designed to help treat osteoporosis fail to include vitamin K while others include an inappropriate form or simply provide too little or an improperly balanced amount, having regard for the total effect of the supplement.
Foods containing boron, which reduces the body's excretion of calcium and magnesium, and increases the production of estrogen, should be eaten. These foods include pears, prunes, raisins and apples.
Take plenty of antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin A (as beta carotene). The antioxidants will help to slow degeneration. Vitamin C is also important for the absorption of minerals such as zinc.
Take essential fatty acids such as Omega 3 oils to slow down the loss of calcium in the urine.
Eat a diet that is low in or has eliminated dairy products and has reduced amounts of meat (once or twice per week for animal protein). Animal protein increase the rate at which calcium is withdrawn from the bones.
You need to cleanse your body of toxic material so that everything, including your bones and joints are able to work effectively.
Get as much weight bearing exercise as you can. Placing demands on the bones by using the muscles that are attached to them will encourage the body to build bone than to loose it.
Doing all the above is important. Equally important is not doing things that will undermine your positive efforts. So it is important to avoid salt, sugar and refined carbohydrates, coffee and alcohol.
Of course, if you smoke you are destroying your health in many ways. It is essential that you stop smoking. Join a quit smoking program such as Growerz.com and gain support and assistance to quit for good.
If you have caffeine, alcohol, antacids, drugs, sugar, or refined food it won't matter how good the rest of the diet is. When the body's pH balance becomes acidic, calcium is pulled from the bones to buffer this acidic state, thereby weakening the bones. A study at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine at La Jolla reports that as little as two drinks of alcohol in a day could cut the benefits of calcium in one's diet.
This brings us to the fact that you need to eat plenty of calcium rich food such as collard and turnip greens, dried figs, spinach, kale and broccoli. You will note that dairy products and animal proteins are not a part of this list. Indeed eating large amounts of dairy and other animal proteins can undermine all your other efforts and can increase the loss of calcium from your bones - but how this occurs is another story.
If you have osteoporosis or are at risk of developing osteoporosis there are many things that you can do to reverse the bone loss trend - but you need to take action. The longer you delay in making positive changes the harder it will be to improve your health later.
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