Preventing Osteoporosis
by: Kim Beardsmore
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.
Osteoporosis
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.
Unfortunately the typical western diet is now so heavily weighted
with white flours, refined sugars and fats it is deplete of many
of the micronutrients required for healthy bones.
There are other aspects of concern with the typical western diet.
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 this can 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 many of us are not getting them from
our regular food consumption patterns. For instance, the Journal
of Nutritional Medicine reports between 80 to 85 per cent of Americans
consume a magnesium-deficient diet!
The good news is that if many of us with diet deficiencies which
may have impacted our bone health, can improve our situation with
a few lifestyle adjustments. 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? Have a look at good quality
nutritional supplementation .
(c) Copyright Kim Beardsmore
About The Author
Kim Beardsmore, B.Sc, (Biochemistry) is a successful wellness
consultant and assists people lose weight and keep it off! To
see what you can do to take control of your weight, visit her
website at http://leanmachine.org/?refid=osteo-16274.
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