Beat Osteoporosis With These Bone Building Secrets


Illness:

Osteoporosis is caused when bones become less dense, lose strength and break more easily due to calcium loss. It can occur at any age but is most common after 60 when one in two women and one in three men will suffer an bone fracture. Breaks are most common in the spine, hip and wrist and often occur after only a minor fall. Post menopausal women are particularly susceptible when there is a period of rapid bone loss due to oestrogen deficiency.

So what can you do to stop bone loss and increase bone mass?

Fortunately there are simple lifestyle changes and specific treatments available. Here are a few:

WEIGHT BEARING OR RESISTANCE EXERCISES.

Early research suggested that walking was a great way to improve and maintain bone density.

Dr Robert Newton, Exercise Science Professor at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia, says studies revealed this popular exercise alone is not enough.

The load on the skeleton while walking was not at the intensity needed to encourage its millions of receptors to retain sufficient bone tissue or replace that lost in the aging process. You also need to do strength training with resistance at least twice a week.

He warned that lifting light weights in fast repetitions had little effect on bone density. To encourage the bone's receptors to generate more bone, the weight has to be at a load of at least 10 RM [repetitions maximum] meaning it can only be lifted 10 times before fatigue sets in.

As bone formation only increases at the exact site where the load was greatest, it's also important for you to include different strength training exercises for areas of high fracture risk including the hips, spine and wrist.

Other researchers have studied the effects of different activities and they've found that one of the best bone building activities is gardening. Their studies indicated that gardening was more effective than almost all the other activities.

Perhaps a combination of all 3 is the way to go. They form an important part of my exercise program. To these I add tennis twice a week and the occasional game of golf. Sadly my standard of golf seems to involve a lot of bush walking!

An added bonus for resistance training, is its importance in most fat loss programs. Resistance training increases lean muscle mass and reduces body fat. Stronger muscles provide more support for your bones and less weight means less bone stress.

CALCIUM.

Bone is made up of calcium and other minerals, such as magnesium, phosphate and collagen[protein]. Calcium is needed for the functioning of organs. If blood calcium levels fall due to inadequate calcium intake, your body will compensate by drawing more calcium out of your bones.

It is important therefore, that your diet includes calcium rich foods and supplements. Calcium occurs naturally in a range of foods. Some of the best sources are salmon, sardines, soy products, milk, yoghurt, fetta and ricotta cheese, almonds, green vegetables and sesame seeds [or tahini,sesame seed paste]. If you have an intolerance or allergy to milk or soy products, you fortunately have other options.

For optimum bone health, calcium cannot work alone. There are more than 28 different nutrients needed, including magnesium. If you take a calcium supplement, it is important that it includes magnesium as magnesium helps the absorption of calcium into the bones. The recommended calcium/magnesium ratio is 2:1.

MAGNESIUM.

Magnesium is an important body nutrient and bone strengthening mineral. It helps outer tooth enamel to harden and resist decay and is needed for the absorption of calcium into the bones. The best food sources of magnesium are almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, fresh green vegetables, soy beans, sesame seeds, parsnips and wholegrain cereals.

VITAMIN D.

This important vitamin is essential to bone health. It also assists calcium absorption and one of the best sources is sunlight. Simply taking a walk or gardening will boost your vitamin D intake. If you live in a high latitude area or experience a winter where your body is rarely exposed to sunlight, a cod liver oil supplement, high in vitamin D, may be needed to compensate for calcium loss.

VITAMIN K.

According to Dr Alan Gaby, author of "Preventing and Reversing Osteoporosis", vitamin K stimulates a permanent chemical change in the bones that causes them to actually attract calcium. The best sources are dark green leafy vegetables, including spinach and lettuce.

BUILD UP YOUR STOMACH FLORA.

As we get older, our stomach loses some of its ability to properly absorb these nutrients. One of the biggest villains is antacids as they can destroy the stomach acids needed for complete digestion.

Both calcium and magnesium require a strong acid presence in the stomach to be absorbed. If they are not properly absorbed as a result of regular antacid use, osteoporosis can develop.

In order to ensure complete digestion and absorption of minerals, if you are over 40 you may need to supplement with digestive enzymes at meals, in order to offset the natural reduction in stomach acid that occurs with age.

BEWARE HOMOCYSTEINE.

High levels of this amino acid have been linked to osteoporosis, according to research by Dr Kilmer McCully of the Harvard Medical School in Boston and author of "The Homocysteine Revolution".

His research is supported by other studies in Germany and the Netherlands. Patients with high homocysteine levels demonstrated a higher risk of bone fractures due to the way this amino acid appears to hinder the absorption of calcium and other minerals into the bones.

A simple blood test can indicate whether you have a high homocysteine level and if you do, a simple solution is to increase your intake of B group vitamins, particularly B6, folic acid and B12. An added bonus is that by increasing your intake of these vitamins, you can also reduce your risk of heart disease according to Dr McCully.

Never start a new treatment before consulting your doctor, especially if you are currently taking medication. The information published in this article is not intended as a substitute for personal medical advice from your physician or other qualified health-care practitioner.

Is freedom from aches, pains and osteoporosis important to you? In his groundbreaking new book "Your Life Fitness," author and fitness/health researcher Graeme Lanham, outlines in easy to read style all you need to know about the latest advances in health, fitness and antiageing.Visit www.yourlifefitness.com and receive 2 special FREE bonuses.


Hot Topics In Illness

    Nutritional Therapy A Natural Cure For Gout

    Acupressure can provide wonderful relief for gout attacks and it can be used as a complimentary treatment with medication or with other natural remedies like nutritional therapy. Nutritional therapy i...

    Gout

    Gout is an arthritic condition that occurs primarily on the feet, although it certainly can manifest itself in other parts of the body. It affects about 3% of the population and is predominantly a mal...

    Coping With Hair Loss

    Hair loss is a problem that affects a large number of males and also a number of females. It can be a devastating problem to cope with which can have some very negiative effects on your self esteem. W...

    Living With Frequent Anxiety Attacks

    Anxiety attacks can disrupt your life in general. How are you supposed to live the life that you want to live, and deal with these attacks at the same time?

    Anxiety attacks can happen to anyone who ...

    Alcohol and High Blood Pressure

    Alcohol and High Blood Pressure - wow, this is a good one (he says putting down his pint only joking). Consuming Alcohol and High Blood Pressure as an issue is a real conundrum.

    One the one had, the...

    3 Steps to Stop Babies Bad Breath

    Generally, babies are known to have pleasing and sweet breath. However, as parents we know this is not always true because babies can and do have bad breath. Yes, hundreds of mothers have reported thi...

    Stop Growing Old

    We all mature, so there is no need to dread it. More balanced traditions equate gray hair with good fortune. One almost gets the impression that life stops at forty, at least judging by the media, and...

    Gout Attack!

    Gout is a form of arthritis that is caused by the build-up of a substance found in the body called uric acid. This acid is used by the body to break down a common substance in many different foods kno...

    Behavioral Therapy & Agoraphobia

    Agoraphobia is a most common syndrome under Panic disorder. This term 'agoraphobia' is derived from Greek, 'agora' means the market place and 'phobia' means fear of specify event.

    Generally, most pe...

    Important Arthritis Pain Relief Tips And Treatments For You

    Arthritis pain can be experienced whenever a stiff or swollen joint is used. The first step when looking for solutions to an arthritis pain problem is to understand how arthritis works. Arthritis is u...

    Information on Back Pain - Keeping Your Back Straight

    Your back is a vital body part. It plays an essential role in every part of daily life. Since the back is so important, you want to keep up-to-date on information about back pain and its treatment.

    Medication For Headaches And Dizziness

    A headache can ruin anyone's day. It doesn't matter if the person is still studying or already working because this can happen anytime without any warning.

    People who experience headaches will say ...

Most Recent Illness Supplements

Interesting Today:

Most Recent Blogs:

Releated to Illness:

Illness Links:

Illness Illness Rss feeds.