Osteoporosis and Bone Density
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OSTEOPOROSIS
Below this article is a article on Bone Density
I am writing this because my mom has it bad and I have
the beginning signs
of it per my bone scan and many others I know have it.
I am also writing this so I can look back on it and
remind myself of what I
need to do to prevent or help the bone loss.
This is what I found my book "Prescription for
Nutritional Healing".
Bone mass - The amount of mineral in the bone -
generally reaches its peak
when a woman is between the ages of thirty and thirty five. After that,
it
then begins to decline. Between the ages of fifty five and seventy,
women
typically experience a 30 - 40 percent bone loss.
While calcium supplementation is important in dealing
with Osteoporosis,
there are other considerations as well. Vitamins C, D, E and K all play
vital roles in battling osteoporosis, as does protein. Regulating the
amount
of certain minerals, such as magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, boron,
zinc,
maganese and copper in the body are also important in maintaining
proper
calcium levels. Exercise is another vital factor.
A diet high in animal protein, salt and sugar causes
the body to excrete
increased amounts of calcium.
Too much magnesium and/or phosphorus (found in most
sodas and many processed
food products) can inhibit the body from absorbing calcium properly.
When the body gets regular weight bearing exercise
(such as walking), the
body responds by depositing more minerals in the bones.
A lack of exercise (like us computer junkies)
accelerates the loss of bone
mass.
Women who are vegetarians experience significantly
less bone loss.
Caffeine has been linked to calcium loss.
This was found in Dr. Whitakers newsletter of Oct.98
Some loss of bone density is a normal, tolerable part
of aging, but problems
arise when other factors speed mineral loss from the bones or impede
natural
bone repair and rebuilding. These include nutritional deficiencies,
inadequate exercise, hormonal and dietary factors, drugs ( steroids,
antacids, anticovulsants and thyroid drugs), and diseases of the
thyroid,
kidney, liver or pancreas. Although some of these factors are beyond
your
control, there are measures you can take to strengthen your bones and
avoid
becoming another osteoporosis statistic.
It's never to late to exercise.
Weight bearing exercise to build up bone mass.
Walking is one. (I will start this immediately and do it daily)
And working out with light weights.(three times a week or more is
recommended)
Eat less protein
This generally means cutting down on milk and meat and eating more
fruits,
vegetables and whole grains.
Some plant foods, especially leafy green vegetables,
beans, broccoli, sesame
seeds, chestnuts, oats and tofu, clams, flounder, hazelnuts, kale,
kelp,
molasses, oysters, salmon, sardines (with bones), sea vegetables,
shrimp,
soy beans, wheat germ are rich sources of calcium and vitamin D.
Limit your intake of almonds, asparagus, beef greens,
cashew, chard, rhubarb
and spinach. These foods are high in oxalic acid, which inhibits
calcium
absorption.
Limit your intake of citrus fruits and tomatoes: these
foods may inhibit
calcium intake. (YIKES)
If you take thyroid hormone (like me) or an
anticoagulant drug, increase the
amount of calcium you take by 25- 50 %.
Osteoporosis is associated with deficiencies in a
number of vital vitamins
and mineral, and the most reliable way to ensure an adequate supply is
with
supplementation.
Here's an overview of the most important nutrients for
fighting
osteoporosis.
Calcium (1000mg to 1500mg) along with other minerals,
gives bone it
strength. Some best absorbed types of supplemental calcium are calcium
citrate, ascobate, gluconate, and malate. (I take Calcium Carbonate as
recommended by Dr. Love - with meals)
For proper absorption and metabolism, calcium should be balanced
with......
Magesium (500 to 750mg) in a 2:1 ratio. (Hmmm I am assuming if your
calcium
is 600mg you should also be taking 300mg of Magnesium with it)
Zinc 30mg
Copper 3 mg
are essential for the formation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. (what
ever
that is)
Boron 3 mg
Is required for the metabolism of calcium and magnesium and also raises
estrogen levels in postmenopausal women, which is beneficial for bone
remodeling.
Manganese 10mg
Silica 20mg
Strontium 500mcg
all play a crucial role in bone mineralization.
Vitamin C 2,500mg (wow! I guess I am not taking enough
of C)
is necessary for collagen synthesis, a factor in healthy bones.
Folic Acid 400mcg
Vitamin B6 50mg
Vitamin K 300mcg
helps attract calcium to bone tissues.
Another supplement that was mentioned is called
ipriflavone which has a
potentially enormous role in preventing and treating osteoporosis. Many
studies has shown it as effective as estrogen at preventing bone loss.
( I
am not familiar with this supplement)
Two drugs were mentioned Calcitonin (Miacalin) by
injection or nasal spray,
hasn't been proven to reduce the risk of fractures. Alendronate
(Fosamax),
was shown in a 1998 study to prevent bone loss to the same degree as
estrogen.
DHEA and human growth hormone, natural progesterone,
testosterone all
hormone replacement therapies were mentioned as in his opion superior
to
drugs.
In Dr. Whitakers 01/2000 newsletter....
He hints that Vitamin D deficiency can be a cause of osteoporosis and
recommends 20 minutes of unfiltered sun 3 times a week (year round)
and/or
supplement with 800 - 100 IU of Vitamin D a day.
So that is my research. Use it as you may......... I
will refer back to it
from time to time to remind myself what I am supposed to be doing.
Time to get off of the computer now and go exercise!
I will add more notes as I find them.
Trish
K,
trish@herbals-unlimited.com
Bone Density
Once bone density is lost, it is difficult if not
impossible to
restore.
SPEAKING AT a symposium at Stanford University in
Stanford, Calif., held in conjunction with the national conference on
advances in perinatal and pediatric nutrition, which ended on
Wednesday, Dr.
Laura Bachrach said that prevention of the bone-thinning disease
osteoporosis "must begin from the first day of life." "We know that
peak bone mass is gained between the
ages
of 20 and 30 and that this serves as a bone bank for the remainder of
your
life. The larger the bone bank account, the longer you can withstand
withdrawals before you get into trouble," said Bachrach, who is a
professor
of pediatric endocrinology at Stanford University.
SEVERAL RISK GROUPS According to the Washington,
D.C.-based National
Osteoporosis Foundation, one in two women and one in eight men older
than 50
will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. Common
sites
for osteoporosis fractures are the hip, spine, wrist and ribs. One in
four
hip-fracture patients older than 50 die within one year of diagnosis.
Teens at high risk of osteopenia, a precursor of
osteoporosis, include girls who exercise too rigorously, a factor
that can
cause a decline in the production of estrogen, a hormone implicated in
healthy bones. Other high-risk youngsters include anorexics, whose
low-calorie intake weakens bones, and asthmatics treated with
steroids, a
class of drugs that can interfere with the production of a key bone
matrix
protein.
While osteoporosis is marked by thin, fragile
bones that
can easily fracture, people diagnosed with osteopenia typically have
no
history of fracture despite reduced-bone density.
LIFESTYLE FACTORS Although 60 to 80 percent of an
individual's
susceptibility to osteoporosis is genetic, Bachrach believes it's
important
that physicians focus on the 20 to 40 percent factor that is
lifestyle-related. For teens, "deposits" in the bone bank should be
made by
consuming a calcium quota of 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams per day, the
equivalent of four to five glasses of milk, said Bachrach. Consuming
food
and beverages with a high salt content increases the amount of
calcium lost
in urine and stools. A teen who eats a ham sandwich and pickle, for
example,
would need to drink an additional glass of milk to compensate for
calcium
loss.
Weight-bearing exercise also strengthens bones,
but it's
important to differentiate between activities like swimming that
benefit
cardiovascular health and those that maximize bone acquisition.
Running,
jumping and gymnastics are optimal exercises for bone health, said
Bachrach.
Once bone density is lost, it is difficult if not
impossible to restore. In a study published last year in the European
Journal of Endocrinology, Japanese researchers led by Dr. Mari Hotta
of the
Tokyo Women's Medical College found that anorexics who gained weight
did not
experience a parallel increase in bone density.
Other studies have found that prescribing estrogen
to
athletes and anorexics with estrogen-deficiency had little or no
effect on
reversing osteopenia.
Trish
K,
trish@herbals-unlimited.com
