Osteoporosis

In the article, Vitamin C: Good for Your Bones, it was noted that supplementation with vitamin C may help decrease bone loss in elderly men, though it didn’t seem to affect women with Osteoporosis.

Men with the highest vitamin C intake had the least bone loss in the hip. A similar finding in women was not significant, Tucker says.

The effect became most significant, she says, at the highest level, about 314 milligrams of vitamin C daily from supplements and food. The recommended intake is 75 milligrams daily for women and 90 milligrams daily for men.

The new research isn’t a call to dose up with supplements, Tucker says. She believes in getting as much vitamin C as possible from fruits and vegetables, supplementing with a vitamin tablet if necessary.

Getting enough vitamin D and calcium is also still important for bone maintenance, she says.

Heaney agrees and adds this advice: “Eat a good diet. Exercise, walk, skip rope, jog.”

Technorati Tags: osteoporosis, bone loss, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, elderly men

Here’s a link to a video about Osteporosis and a group called Strong to the bone. It says what we’ve been telling you for a while. Weight bearing exercise is important, as is diagnosing the disease and treating it, since Osteoporosis is both preventable and treatable.

Tags: osteoporosis, strong to the bone, osteoporosis prevention, osteoporosis treatment, weight bearing exercise

New study shows sedentary high school girls are at significant risk for future osteoporosis.

The study results were presented today at the American College of Sports Medicine at Indianapolis, by Anne Z. Hoch, D.O., associate professor of orthopedic surgery and physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Medical College, and director of the Froedtert & Medical College Sports Medicine Program. She is also a member of the Medical College’s Cardiovascular Center.

Dr. Hoch found that 78 percent of female high school athletes and 65 percent of female high school non-athletes display one or more components of the female athlete triad. The triad is a combination of three conditions – low energy availability, menstrual abnormalities and low bone mineral density – that often leads to the same steroid and hormonal profiles as postmenopausal women.

“We are concerned that non athletic girls have some of the same components of the female athlete triad as athletes and are in fact at greater risk for low bone density,” says Dr. Hoch. “These young women are under great pressure to conform to society’s standards of body image. In an effort to lose weight, they are restricting their caloric intake and adapting unhealthy nutrition habits.”

The study, conducted at Froedtert Hospital, examined eighty varsity athletes and eighty non-athletes at an all-girls school in Milwaukee. Ninety-three percent of non-athletes were found to have calcium deficiencies, compared to 74 percent of athletes.

“Most important and alarming is that 30 percent of the non athletes versus 16 percent of athletes were found to have low bone mineral density putting them at greater risk for developing osteoporosis earlier in life,” says Dr. Hoch.

Both groups showed little difference in low energy availability, with 39 percent of non-athletes and 36 percent of athletes reporting this condition. The athletes reported 33 percent more menstrual abnormalities than the non-athletes. Women who have normal periods, and hence normal estrogen levels, are less likely to display changes in the function of the layer of cells that line the interior of blood vessels, called the endothelium.

“Change in endothelial function is the seminal event in cardiovascular disease,” says Dr. Hoch.

Dr. Hoch began her studies in the late 1990s to see if young women who have menstrual abnormalities as a result of participating in intense sports are likely to develop cardiovascular disease similar to that seen in postmenopausal women. She and her colleagues were able to show that young women who had the triad also had early vascular change that is a precursor to cardiovascular disease.

“We not only need to educate athletes about the consequences of the triad, now we must educate all students about the harmful effects of a restrictive diet in the adolescent period,” says Dr. Hoch.

A combination of a restrictive diet and sedentary life style for these high school girls can lead to some major problems down the line such as osteoporosis and heart disease. The simple remedy, exercise and a healthy diet. Weight bearing exercise is especially helpful for helping prevent osteoporosis. Aerobic exercise is good for the heart. As for diet, I will be covering that in more depth in a future post. Please check back.Technorati Tags: osteoporosis, heart disease, Anne Z. Hoch, high school girl study, sedentary lifestyle

Health Tip: Build Healthy Bones - Health and Medical Information Produced by Doctors - MedicineNet.com

Here’s some info from MedicineNet:

• Women who are or have been pregnant, who are breast-feeding, or who have had a hysterectomy are more likely to lose bone mass, putting them at higher risk of osteoporosis.
• Women who are menopausal or postmenopausal produce less estrogen than before, which weakens bones.
• Ideally, weight-bearing exercises should begin during the teen years, when the bones grow rapidly.
• It’s never too late to start protecting your bones, which may continue to grow throughout your 20s, and even into your early 30s.
• Avoid smoking and excess alcohol, which weaken bones.

Technorati Tags: Osteoporosis, risks, tips

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Osteoporosis: Eight Tips For 2008

Here are 8 tips for Osteoporosis prevention from Harvard Health, slightly modified by me.

1. Diet- include foods and supplements with bone building nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, phosphorus,
calcium, and vitamin D.

2. Exercise- Be active every day.  Do weight-bearing exercises, like running, walking, weight lifting and other resistance exercise.

3. Eliminate smoking: Smoking is an osteoporosis risk factor.

4. Get tested.  I see no reason not to do it earlier than the official guidelines, especially if you are at risk.

5. If you are at risk, see your health practitioner to either get the medication or supplementation you need.

6. Depression is one of the risk factors, so get tested accordingly.

7. Maintain a healthy weight: Weighing less than 127 pounds or having a
body mass index under 21 is a risk factor for osteoporosis. Avoid ultra-low-calorie diets and diets that eliminate whole
food groups.

8. Make your house safe to avoid falls.

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Though over 8 million women in this country suffer from Osteoporosis, over 2 million men also do. In addition, 12 million men have low bone density, called Osteopenia, and are at risk for Osteoporosis. The medical system however is skewed towards women in this disease, and insurance doesn’t readily reimburse men for screening.

This is something that needs to be taken into account by primary care physicians who treat middle aged and elderly men. There is a lot that can be done to prevent this disease with nutritionally with supplements, and the earlier it starts, the better. In addition, weight bearing exercise can do a lot for both men and women as they age. There is a need to counterbalance our sedentary lifestyle with a good exercise program. Calcium based supplements, such as Bonestrong, can also be helpful.

A common for of antidepressants known as SSRI’s  have been implicated in bone loss in a preliminary study.  The studies were published in the June 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.  One theory is that this observation may have something to due with the seritonin receptors in bone, however, it hasn’t been definitively determined that the bone loss is from the drugs.  An alternate possibility is that it is from depression.  Either way, depressed women, especially those taking SSRI’s, should be getting checked and taking precautions, such as proper exercise,  nutrition and supplementation, to ensure their bone health and prevent osteoporosis.

According to a study on male rats with low testosterone, in the current issue of Nutrition, one or two glasses of orange or grapefruit juice a day may help prevent bone fracture due to osteoporosis. According to an article on MedicineNet.com, the rats that were fed juice in the study had increased bone density. I don’t know if this necessarily translates to post-menopausal women, but it might, and as long as there are no blood-sugar problems, it probably won’t hurt to drink some citrus juice.

As we age, our bones lose mass over time, especially for women after menopause. This is why it is so important to start a program of building optimum bone mass while young. Imagine you have a bone mass of 120% of normal when you are 45. If you lose 20% over the next 20 years, you will still be in the normal range. However if by age 45 you are already showing signs of low bone density, the next 20 years could bring problems in this regard, and likely osteoporosis in later years. Therefore, it’s important to be sure to get enough calcium, exercise, and other healthy habits in the early years, so in the later years you will have a bone density “reserve” to draw from without ill effects.

For those who already have Osteoporosis, BoneStrong has no known side effects, and is 4 times more effective than calcium alone. If you have daughters and/or granddaughters, they are at risk, and should be advised to be sure to exercise and get enough calcium.

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In an article entitled Vit D prevents alcohol-related bone loss, the authors state that numerous studies have shown a relationship between heavy drinking and bone loss.  Higher doses of Vitamin D have been shown to prevent this bone loss.  Vitamin D, of course, has been known for a years to be one of the important supplements necessary for bone growth and is included in the Bonestrong formulation, which has been shown to be much more effective than Calcium and Vitamin D alone.  Besides the implications for bone, heavy alcohol abuse damages the liver and causes a whole myriad of problems, so quitting drinking also sounds like and all around healthy choice.