LIVING COMPLETELY WELL: Better Diet, Supplements Could Stem Bone Density Loss
LIVING COMPLETELY WELL: Better Diet, Supplements Could Stem Bone Density Loss
By Dr. Cheryl Shea | www.globe-democrat.com
Question: I am worried about osteoporosis as I age. What should I be doing?
Answer: You haven’t mentioned your age, so I’ll answer your question for a range of ages. Osteoporosis is when our bone density drops to 2.5 standard deviations below that of a 35-year-old. You are three times more likely than a 35-year-old to have a fracture. Osteopenia is another term you may have heard and in this range, you have lower bone density and roughly twice the risk of fracture as compared to a 35-year-old. With either comes a risk of fracture, and the most dangerous fracture as we age is of the hip or leg.
The best time to focus on bone density is our adolescent years. It is during these years that we build most of our bone density.
The teen years are when we should focus on bone building, and yet most teen habits are quite detrimental to building bones. Teens drink more soda, which is bone destroying. They don’t drink enough milk, don’t eat enough vegetables, and they perhaps to start other behaviors that affect bones, such as taking birth control pills or smoking.
Both men and women start to lose bone density in their mid-thirties. It is estimated that we lose 2 to 2.5 percent bone density per year. Bone loss increases after menopause.
What are our options? There is research that shows that hormone replacement therapy has a positive effect on bone density, but there are definite risks associated with HRT. Research also shows that a diet rich in green leafy vegetables, additional calcium and Vitamin D supplementation and weight-bearing exercise does equally well in effecting bone density. Supplements that are helpful are Vitamin K, boron, magnesium and potassium.
Other items that put us at risk are smoking, excessive alcohol or caffeine, steroid usage, excessive thyroid hormones.
Drugs such as Fosamax, Actonel or Boniva are prescribed and they work by shutting down osteoclasts, which are cells that reabsorb old bone. What happens is new bone is being made, but at a much lower rate. The old bone isn’t being destroyed, so bone density scans look denser. The bone may look dense, but it is because there is more old frail bone still present. We are finding the risk of fracture isn’t being reduced. Side effects include bone, muscle or joint pain, constipation, diarrhea, and linkage to osteonecrosis of the jaw, where cells of the jawbone die.
The bottom line; there is no magic pill. Eat well, take supplements, move your body.
LIVING COMPLETELY WELL: Better Diet, Supplements Could Stem Bone Density Loss
By Dr. Cheryl Shea | www.globe-democrat.com
