Preventing Osteoporosis
by Kim
Beardsmore
zone3
Last month my 74-year-old mother while walking, tripped
on a small tuft of grass, fell - and broke her rib! Her recovery has been
painful, debilitating and at times depressing. It also affected my elderly
father who relies heavily on her day to day.
Surprisingly, this
instance of fracture was not due to osteoporosis. However my mom's
experience caused me stop and think deeply. As a 40-something woman, am I
doing everything possible to keep my skeletal system in tip-top
condition?
Once we get past the inevitable scrapes of childhood,
during our middle years we don't give too much thought to our bones. We
understand that bones make up our structural frame, but we tend to think
of our bones like the frame of a house. Supporting and rigid, and that's
it.
The truth of it is that bone is an active, living tissue. Bone
is constantly changing, undergoing synthesis and remodeling itself. Like
all other bodily tissue, bone is totally dependent on many different
micronutrients and enzymes for optimum bone function and health.
A
typical western diet is heavily weighted with white flours, refined sugars
and fats and is deplete of many of the micronutrients required for healthy
bones.
Do you regularly drink carbonated beverages? Did you know
that carbonated drinks increase the body's intake of phosphorus - which,
in turn, decreases our absorption of calcium. Decreased absorption of
calcium can lead to an unhealthy, nutrient-starved skeletal system. And in
time lead to osteoporosis.
Whilst calcium is necessary, it is not
the only critical micronutrient for healthy bones. Make sure your diet has
an adequate supply of magnesium, zinc, silicon, boron, folic acid, vitamin
B6, vitamin B12, Manganese, vitamin K, vitamin D and magnesium. These
trace elements are important and we are not getting them from our regular
food consumption patterns. The Journal of Nutritional Medicine reports
between 80 to 85 per cent of Americans consume a magnesium-deficient
diet.
Your bone density may also be improved by a gentle regime of
weight bearing exercise which stimulates the body to make bone
tissue.
Medical evidence supports an improvement in bone density
where people make lifestyle changes to incorporate weight bearing
exercise, a diet more rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, complemented
with high quality nutritional supplements.
Why wait until you bones
start breaking before you think about ensuring a healthy skeletal system?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kim Beardsmore, B.Sc, (Biochemistry) is a busy
wellness consultant and assists people achieve great health through
excellence in nutrition. For further information and a free weight
management consultation, visit her website at
http://leanmachine.org/?refid=osteo-16274
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