Strong bones need more than calcium

“People think of bones as static. In fact, it’s always being broken down and rebuilt, and that process is sensitive to a delicate balance of nutrients. Many people know a lot about calcium and vitamin D, but we’re finding a whole spectrum of other nutrients that protect bones,” says Tufts researcher Kathryn Tucker.

How much bone do women lose during menopause? “You lose rapidly — about three percent per year — from sites such as the spine,” explains Bess Dawson-Hughes of the US Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. Bone loss begins to show four to eight years after menopause begins, and it is lost at an average of one percent per year after that.

Men go through the same process, only more slowly. In both men and women, declining estrogen makes the intestines and kidneys absorb less calcium and signals bones to slow construction and speed up demolition. A negative balance of only five to 100 mg of calcium per day over a long period of time is sufficient to produce osteoporosis, cautions the Surgeon General. The typical woman consumes 800 mg of calcium each day from food and supplements, while the recommended dosage ranges from 1,000mg per day for women 19 to 50 and 1,200mg per day for women over 50.

Vitamin D and physical activity are also needed for the body to absorb calcium. It’s difficult to gauge how much vitamin D people get, since some comes from exposure to sunlight. When researchers did research on more than 1,200 older people they found a 22-percent drop in risk of falling when people got enough vitamin D. Foods with vitamin D include catfish, pink salmon and oatmeal.

Says Sarah Booth, a researcher at the Tufts Institute on Aging, “People in the lowest quarter of vitamin K intake have a significantly higher risk of hip fracture.” People need to see registered dietitians to find out what they need to eat or whether they should take supplements in regards to their health. Vitamin usage is a complex issue needing a professional’s expertise to decipher. The average person is not aware of facts such as “supplement intake can interfere with blood thinning drugs such as Coumadin.” A simple solution is eating more vegetables! Kale, spinach, collards and broccoli are all good sources of vitamin K. (Ask a registered dietitian for advice in your particular situation.)

To know your risk for bone fracture, a medical professional/dietitian will need to know your current age, your ethnicity, if you have broken any bones, if osteoporosis runs in your family, etc., which is why you will need to look for a registered dietitian, who has access to your lab results, NOT a nutritionist! You can ask for a referral from your local doctor or health clinic, or go online to http://www.eatright.org/public and enter your ZIP code to find a dietitian in your area!

Please e-mail me with your suggestions, questions and comments on Healthy Living at: [email protected]. Please remember to always check with your physician before incorporating any changes in exercise or diet.