A common condition mainly in women.
A doctor examines a woman's leg (Photo: ShutterStock)
Osteoporosis is a common disease, and it is especially common in postmenopausal women.
After menopause, about 54 percent of women have a decrease in bone density called osteopenia, and another 30 percent of them have a significant decrease in bone density called osteoporosis.
By the age of 80 already 70 percent of women will suffer from osteoporosis.
It is extremely important to prevent and treat osteoporosis because fractures are one of the biggest risk factors for mortality in old age.
So here are some tips on how to prevent and treat osteoporosis.
1. Prefer to get most of your calcium from food and not from supplements
.
Many of you probably think that taking calcium supplements is recommended for bone health.
But studies that looked at taking calcium supplements found that it did not improve bone density or reduce the incidence of fractures.
On the other hand, what has been demonstrated in studies is that calcium supplements increased the risk of heart attacks, prostate cancer, and kidney stones.
Maintain a good diet.
Spinach (photo: Walla! system, Ayala Jenny)
A study from Sweden showed that among women who took calcium supplements at a dose of 1400 mg or more, the risk of mortality was 157 percent higher than women who took calcium at a low dose of 500 mg.
The conclusion from all these studies is that it is better to get as much calcium as possible from food and not from supplements.
So what are the foods that are a good source of calcium?
These foods include cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower, fish with bones such as canned sardines, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, almonds, and dairy products.
2. Be sure to consume enough magnesium
.
Magnesium is in many cases the mineral that is forgotten to talk about when talking about osteoporosis.
However, it is an extremely important mineral for bone density and magnesium deficiency can lead to osteoporosis.
Good food sources for magnesium are dark green leaves (such as spinach and chard), nuts and seeds, fish, avocados, bananas, dark chocolate, and yogurt.
The problem with magnesium is that most of the population suffers from its deficiency, so it is possible that in addition to food you will also need a magnesium supplement.
In this case, you should consult your doctor.
More in Walla!
This supplement will reduce your urge for sweets
To the full article
3. Take care of normal levels of vitamin D.
Insufficient levels of vitamin D reduce the absorption of calcium from food, and lead to calcium being released from the bones, as a result of which the bone structure is damaged and the risk of fractures increases.
Vitamin D can be obtained from 3 sources: from the sun, from food and supplements.
It is important that you are exposed to the sun in order to obtain a good level of vitamin D. Food usually provides only 10 percent of the amount of vitamin D. Foods rich in vitamin D include oily fish such as sardines and mackerel, and egg yolks, especially free-range eggs.
In case of vitamin D deficiency, it is recommended to consult your doctor about a supplement.
4. Make sure to provide your body with enough vitamin K2.
This is a vitamin you may not have heard of.
This vitamin works together with vitamin D and leads to the calcium entering the bones, which is the desired situation, and not entering the soft tissue, which is a situation we are not interested in.
Main food sources of vitamin K2 are butter, meat, and liver from pastured animals, yolks from free-range eggs, and sauerkraut.
It is also found in natto, which is a Japanese food made from fermented soybeans.
If you take a vitamin D supplement, make sure it also contains vitamin K2.
5. Make sure to eat enough collagen.
Collagen is important for the proper structure of the skin, hair, nails and bones.
Foods rich in collagen are bone broth, and tough cuts of meat with connective tissue.
6. Medical examination.
If you already suffer from a decrease in bone density or from osteoporosis, it is important to find out that you do not have inflammation, and treat it.
Studies show that osteoporosis is much more common in people with inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, and Hashimoto's disease (hypothyroidism).
That is why it is important to find out and treat inflammatory conditions to improve bone health.
Perfect for winter and your bones.
Mark (Photo: ShutterStock)
7. If you suffer from celiac disease or have a non-celiac gluten sensitivity, it is very important that you avoid gluten.
The reason is that in people who are sensitive to gluten, any exposure to gluten leads to a reaction of the immune system and a process of inflammation.
It is not surprising then that a decrease in bone density is one of the first things that appear in celiac disease even when a person has no other symptoms of the disease.
The good news is that for people with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, avoiding gluten can greatly improve bone health.
8. Take care of the health of your gut bacteria.
Studies show that there is a direct connection between your gut bacteria and bone health.
An imbalance of the intestinal bacteria leads to a process of inflammation in the body, leading to loss of bone mass.
The imbalance of the intestinal bacteria also leads to impaired absorption of nutrients that are important for bone health.
The intestinal bacteria also have a role in the production of vitamins important for bone health such as B vitamins and vitamin k2, and an imbalance of the intestinal bacteria leads to a deficiency of these vitamins.
9. Be sure to carry out weight-bearing physical activity.
Weight-bearing aerobic activity such as walking and running encourages the building of stronger bones.
Also added activity against resistance several times a week.
Activity against resistance beyond the fact that it builds muscle, also slows down the rate of bone loss and can even lead to bone building.
When we exercise the muscles against resistance, this creates tension on the bone, encourages bone building and leads to stronger bones.
10. Make sure to sleep properly.
Sleep is important for general health and it turns out that it is especially important for bone health.
The reason is that the sleep hormone melatonin secreted at night has a positive effect on bone density and protects bones from oxidative damage and inflammation.
11. Manage your stress well.
When you are stressed for a long time, this leads to an increase in a hormone called cortisol.
Cortisol causes damage to bone density by blocking the absorption of calcium from food, which leads to bone damage.
12. Stop smoking and avoid excessive drinking of alcohol.
Both smoking and alcohol damage bone density.
Therefore, if you want to prevent and treat osteoporosis, stopping smoking and cutting down on alcohol are the first things you should do.
Dr. Dalit Driman Medina is an expert in family medicine, integrative and functional medicine
health
Healthy life
Tags
Osteoporosis
calcium
bones
diet
