How To Keep Your Skeleton Strong
Osteoporosis is a disease which causes low bone mass and bone deterioration, or brittle bones. It is most common in people over fifty years old. This can lead to an increase in fractures. Osteopenia is the milder form of osteoporosis. Fractures from osteoporosis or osteopenia are more common than heart attacks, strokes and breast cancer combined. In fact, eighty per cent of fractures in menopausal women over fifty years old is due to osteoporosis. The most common areas of fracture include the hips, spine, wrists, and shoulders. Data shows that a year after fracturing a hip, many older people are still unable to walk independently and more then half need help with daily living. In Canada, 28% of women and 37% of men who suffer a hip fracture from osteoporosis will die by the following year. So, it is very important to take measures that will help increase bone strength.
Bone is constantly remodeling throughout our lives. We form new bone and then we resorb or dissolve it and then rebuild it again. This healthy and normal process is very import to maintain bone integrity because microfractures and vascular changes can make bones weaker. Until we reach our peak height, we are laying down more bone than we resorb. By our mid to late twenties, we reach our maximum bone mass so there is a balance between bone formation and resorption. This stays stable for women until they reach menopause and for men until about 50 years old. At this point men will loose about one per cent a year for the rest of their lives. For women, they will loose two to three per cent per year for five to eight years, at which time it levels off to one per cent, like men. Osteoporosis Canada recommends a bone density test at 65 years old for women and 70 years old for men.
So, what can a person do to either reduce the effects or prevent low bone mass? Standard medical approaches and research supports four strategies which include: optimal intake of vitamin D and calcium, acid balancing diets and weight bearing exercises. It is very well established that people with low levels of vitamin D and calcium have a high risk of fractures, especially if you are over seventy years old. However, doubling or tripling the recommended daily doses have mixed results from no increased benefit to possibly increasing fractures for vit D or kidney stones for Calcium. The daily recommended intake of vitamin D is 600 IU if you are under seventy years old and 800 IU over seventy. The recommended intake of calcium is 1000 mg per day if you are younger and 1200 mg per day for women over 50 years old and men over 70 years old. Keep in mind that this includes both what you consume in your diet and any supplementation. It requires a little time and calculation on your part to understand how much supplementation you may need, if any. You should always talk to your health professional about what is best for you.
Your diet is and will always be the biggest influence on how healthy you are and whether you need to supplement with extra vitamins and minerals. A typical North American diet is very acidic due to the high consumption of grains like bread, pasta, tortilla, rice, cereal, and proteins, all of which produce acid. On the other hand, fruits and vegetables produce potassium bicarbonate and other alkali. High acid levels in your blood causes you body to dissolve bone in attempts to neutralize the acid. The solution then is to increase your fruit and vegetable consumption which is chronically below recommended levels for most of us.
Protein intake appears to be adequate, and it is not recommended to reduce it. Many older people already are low on protein intake but very high on simple carbohydrate intake such as breads, pastries, and sugar.
Bone cells are very responsive to gravitational force. This means that exercise in a standing (weight bearing) position is highly effective at improving bone mass. It is especially helpful for those bones that carry most of your body weight, including your hip, spine, and leg bones. Any exercise while standing is good, walking, aerobics, weightlifting, elliptical trainers, stairs, dancing, etcetera. But it is important to realize that standing and puttering around all day is going to be more beneficial for your bones than doing a thirty-minute jog and then sitting all day.
As with every other chronic condition, your best chances of preventing and or reducing the effects of these diseases and maintaining a high quality of life is to stay active daily and consume a moderate diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins.
James DiGiuseppe is a local chiropractor with a busy family and wellness practice. For more health information or to contact Dr. DiGiuseppe visit: www.portarthurchiropractic.com