All about the bones

When was the last time you thought about your bone health?  The chances are that it’s not something you often think about, especially if you’re young.

But bone health is something you should pay attention to.  Whether you’re 17 or 70, eating the right foods, doing bone strengthening exercise, and getting enough calcium and vitamin D, will all increase your bone density and minimise bone loss.

Bone Basics

Bones are active structures that constantly break down and rebuild in a process called bone remodelling.  Your teens and early adult years are the time when your bone-building capability is at its peak – you are building bone faster than it is breaking down, and it’s vital that you achieve maximum bone density at this time through a healthy diet and exercise.  If your bone density is lower than normal at this age, then you will be at a higher risk of fractures as you get older.

Bone remodelling slows down in your early 30s, and from then on, you start to lose bone faster than you make it.  If you don’t take preventative action, over the next decades, your bones can progressively lose density and weaken.  Because you can’t feel bones weakening, the first sign that things aren’t right for many people is a bone fracture, which may then be followed by a diagnosis of osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis occurs when the mesh-like structure inside bones becomes porous and susceptible to breaking.  Fractures can occur in many parts of the body, but they are most common in the wrists, hips, and spine and it’s these broken bones that can cause pain, rather than osteoporosis itself.

It is estimated that 3 million people in the UK have osteoporosis, and 50% of women and 20% of men over the age of 50 are expected to break a bone during their lifetime as a result of this disease.  In advanced cases, bones become so brittle that they can even break when a person coughs or sneezes, or the bones in the spine can crack and compress just from the action of gravity.

As the disease progresses, blood cell production in the bone marrow decreases, which can lead to fatigue, slow wound healing, a poor immune response, and increasing frailty and loss of independence.

Perimenopausal women are particularly vulnerable to developing osteoporosis, as the decline in oestrogen at this time leads to increased bone breakdown.

What can you do?

Diet

The old adage 'you are what you eat' is particularly applicable to bone.  As well as providing the ingredients that make up bone, and fuelling the processes that form bone, a varied plant-focused diet that is high in quality protein, fibre, calcium, and minerals, and low in sugar, saturated fats and processed foods will also help to lower inflammation and can protect you against other medical conditions that may adversely affect your bone health.

Calcium in particular gives your bones the strength and hardness they need to cope with your everyday activities.  Most adults need 700mg of calcium per day and this can usually be obtained through healthy eating alone, but as you age, your body’s ability to absorb calcium declines, and a higher intake is needed.

Over the age of 50, the recommended daily intake of calcium for women is 1200mg/d and 1000mg/d for men, rising to 1200mg/d for both sexes over age 70.

Use the calcium calculator on the Royal Osteoporosis Society website (see below) to see whether your dietary calcium intake is sufficient.

https://webapps.igc.ed.ac.uk/world/research/rheumatological/calcium-calculator/)

Exercise

Weight-bearing exercises, such as weightlifting, walking, dancing, skipping and aerobics all encourage bone production.  You should aim for at least 30-minutes of weight-bearing exercise four or more days a week.

Muscle-strengthening exercises, twice a week or more, are also recommended.

Supplements

In general, it is better to try to ensure you get adequate nutrients for bone health from dietary sources rather than from supplements.  However calcium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin D supplementation can all help to improve bone strength where dietary intake is low, or during the winter months when you can’t make vitamin D from the sun’s UV rays.

You should always seek nutritional or medical advice before taking supplements as they can interact with prescribed medication or may not be recommended with certain medical conditions.

Tips for maintaining healthy bones

·      Avoid smoking – it reduces bone mass

·      Don’t drink alcohol in excess – drinking more than the recommended units per week can cause osteoporosis even if you have no other risk factors

·      Eat a predominantly unprocessed diet that contains quality proteins, fibre, lots of vegetables, and some fruit

·      Exercise regularly – focus on weight-bearing and strength-training activities

·      Get enough calcium and vitamin D

·      Be aware that certain medications can increase bone loss – ask your doctor about side-effects of your medications

·      Cut back on caffeine – it can increase calcium loss

·      Talk with your health-care provider or a Nutritional Therapist about supporting your bone health

By Amber Cotton BSc, dipION, mBANT, mCNHC

Registered Nutritional Therapist