Feed Your Bones, Protect Your Future

According to the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation , osteoporosis can affect people of all ages.

• Women: Risk of breaking a hip due to osteoporosis = risk of breast, ovarian and uterine cancer combined
• Men: Ages 50+ are more likely to break a bone due to osteoporosis than get prostate cancer

While osteoporosis is not a normal part of aging, unfortunately it’s a common condition with debilitating effects.

• Studies suggest approximately one in two women and up to one in four men ages 50 and older will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
• Seven in 100 osteoporosis-related fractures that occur in the U.S. annually are hip fractures and are especially serious.
• Approximately half of older adults who have experienced a hip fracture require help to walk afterwards.
• 20% of seniors who break a hip die within one year from either complications related to the broken bone itself or the surgery to repair it.
• Many people require long-term nursing home care after a hip fracture.

What is osteoporosis?
The literal meaning is “porous bone.” Osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs when either the body loses too much bone, or the body makes too little bone, or both. As a result, bones become weak and may break due to a fall, or in severe cases, from sneezing, a cough, a minor bump or simply a twist of the body.

What is osteopenia?
As a person ages, bone density can naturally decrease. Osteopenia refers to having low bone density when compared to others of the same age. While osteopenia does not usually cause symptoms, it may increase the risk of developing osteoporosis.

How do you know if you have osteopenia or osteoporosis?
Health care providers most commonly assess bone health with a bone density test that measures mineral content (such as calcium) within your bones. The primary method for this assessment is Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry or DEXA. All women age 65 and older and all men age 70 and older should have a bone density test. Your health care provider may suggest having a DEXA scan sooner if you have a family history of osteoporosis, or have other conditions that can cause bone loss, or are age 50 or older and have had a broken bone.

How can I prevent osteopenia and osteoporosis?
Calcium and vitamin D are the two most important nutrients for bone health. Calcium is an essential nutrient needed for life. Beyond building bones and keeping bones healthy, calcium enables your blood to clot, your muscles to contract and your heart to beat. Approximately 99% of the calcium in your body is found in your bones and teeth.

Every day, you lose calcium through your skin, urine and feces. Your body cannot make its own calcium. That is why it is crucial to get enough from the foods you eat. When you don’t get the calcium your body needs, it’s taken from your bones. In other words, your bones get robbed of this essential calcium, leaving an imbalance like an overdrawn checking account. This imbalance is what can cause your bones to become weak and easier to break.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and plays a dual role in protecting your bones, both by helping your body absorb calcium and by supporting muscles needed to avoid falls. Children need vitamin D to build strong bones and adults require it to keep their bones healthy and strong.

How much calcium and vitamin D do I need?

It’s recommended to not exceed 1,500 mg of calcium per day from food and supplements.

Calcium-fortified beverages such as orange juice and calcium-fortified plant-based milk alternatives such as almond, oat and soy typically provide 300-470 mg per 8 fluid oz. serving. When consuming beverages fortified with calcium, shake the contents before serving as the calcium content can settle to the bottom of the container.

Will I need to take a supplement to meet my calcium needs?
Always focus on food first to obtain calcium. If you are not able to consistently meet your calcium needs, then a calcium supplement may help you fill in the gap.

Calcium is best absorbed when taken in amounts of 500-600 mg or less. The two most common types of calcium supplements:

• Calcium Citrate: Take with or without meals or at bedtime; this form is less likely to cause gas or constipation
• Calcium Carbonate: Take with meals for better absorption; important to obtain adequate fluid and fiber as may be constipating

What are good food sources of vitamin D?

Will I need to take a supplement to meet my vitamin D needs?
Vitamin D occurs naturally in very few foods. Fortified foods provide most of the vitamin D obtained through diet. Cooper Clinic recommends a minimum daily intake of 25-50 mcg/1,000-2,000 IU vitamin D3. Vitamin D supplements are likely necessary to obtain these ranges.

Tip: To optimize your ability to absorb the vitamin D in a multivitamin or in a vitamin D supplement, take with a meal. Fat content in foods maximizes your ability to absorb vitamin D. Weight-bearing exercise such as tennis, dancing and gardening also supports strong bones.

If you have questions about nutrition for your bone health, schedule a nutrition consultation with a Cooper Clinic registered dietitian nutritionist . Call 972.560.2655 or visit cooperclinicnutrition.com .

Article provided by Cynthanne Duryea, RDN, LD , and Cooper Clinic Nutrition