Calcium and Strong Bones JoAnn Guest

[Guest guest]

Calcium and Strong Bones JoAnn Guest

Sep 30, 2006 11:58 PDT

 

Calcium and Strong Bones

Protecting Your Bones

http://www.pcrm.org/health/prevmed/strong_bones.html

 

The bone-thinning condition called osteoporosis can lead to small

and

not-so-small fractures. Although many people think of calcium in the

diet as good protection for their bones, this is not at all the

whole

story.

 

In fact, in a 12-year Harvard study of 78,000 women, those who drank

milk three times a day actually broke more bones than women who

rarely

drank milk.1 Similarly, a 1994 study of elderly men and women in

Sydney,

Australia, showed that higher dairy product consumption was

associated

with increased fracture risk.

 

Those with the highest dairy product consumption had approximately

double the risk of hip fracture compared to those with the lowest

consumption.2

 

To protect your bones you do need calcium in your diet, but you also

need to keep calcium in your bones.

 

How to Get Calcium into Your Bones

1. Get calcium from greens, beans, or fortified foods.

 

The most healthful calcium sources are green leafy vegetables and

legumes, or " greens and beans " for short. Broccoli, Brussels

sprouts,

collards, kale, mustard greens, Swiss chard, and other greens are

loaded

with highly absorbable calcium and a host of other healthful

nutrients.

The exception is spinach, which contains a large amount of calcium

but

tends to hold onto it very tenaciously, so that you will absorb less

of

it.

 

Beans are humble foods, and you might not know that they are loaded

with

calcium. There is more than 100 milligrams of calcium in a plate of

baked beans. If you prefer chickpeas, tofu, or other bean or bean

products, you will find plenty of calcium there, as well.

 

These foods also contain magnesium, which your body uses along with

calcium to build bones.

 

If you are looking for a very concentrated calcium source,

calcium-fortified orange or apple juices contain 300 milligrams or

more

of calcium per cup in a highly absorbable form. Many people prefer

calcium supplements, which are now widely available.

 

Dairy products do contain calcium, but it is accompanied by animal

proteins, lactose sugar, animal growth factors, occasional drugs and

contaminants, and a substantial amount of fat and cholesterol in all

but

the defatted versions.

 

2. Exercise, so calcium has somewhere to go.

Exercise is important for many reasons, including keeping bones

strong.

Active people tend to keep calcium in their bones, while sedentary

people lose calcium.

 

3. Get vitamin D from the sun, or supplements if you need them.

 

Vitamin D controls your body's use of calcium. About 15 minutes of

sunlight on your skin each day normally produces all the vitamin D

you

need. If you get little or no sun exposure, you can get vitamin D

from

any multiple vitamin. The Recommended Dietary Allowance is 200 IU (5

micrograms) per day. Vitamin D is often added to milk, but the

amount

added is not always well controlled.

 

How to Keep It There

It's not enough to get calcium into your bones. What is really

critical

is keeping it there. Here's how:

 

1. Reduce calcium losses by avoiding excess salt.

Calcium in bones tends to dissolve into the bloodstream, then pass

through the kidneys into the urine. Sodium (salt) in the foods you

eat

can greatly increase calcium loss through the kidneys.3 If you

reduce

your sodium intake to one to two grams per day, you will hold onto

calcium better. To do that, avoid salty snack foods and canned goods

with added sodium, and keep salt use low on the stove and at the

table.

 

2. Get your protein from plants, not animal products.

 

Animal protein—in fish, poultry, red meat, eggs, and dairy

products—tends to leach calcium from the bones and encourages its

passage into the urine. Plant protein—in beans, grains, and

vegetables—does not appear to have this effect.4

 

3. Don't smoke.

 

Smokers lose calcium, too. A study of identical twins showed that,

if

one twin had been a long-term smoker and the other had not, the

smoker

had more than a 40 percent higher risk of a fracture.5

 

American recommendations for calcium intake are high, partly because

the

meat, salt, tobacco, and physical inactivity of American life leads

to

overly rapid and unnatural loss of calcium through the kidneys. By

controlling these basic factors, you can have an enormous influence

on

whether calcium stays in your bones or drains out of your body.

 

Hormone Supplements Have Serious Risks

Some doctors recommend estrogen supplements for women after

menopause as

a way to slow osteoporosis, although the effect is not very great

over

the long run, and they are rarely able to stop or reverse bone loss.

 

Many women find these hormones distasteful because the most commonly

prescribed brand, Premarin, is made from pregnant mares' urine, as

its

name suggests. What has many physicians worried is the fact that

estrogens increase the risk of breast cancer. The Harvard Nurses'

Health

Study found that women taking estrogens have 30 to 80 percent more

breast cancer, compared to other women.6

 

Moreover, Premarin may aggravate heart problems. In a study of 2,763

postmenopausal women with coronary disease followed for an average

of

four years, there were as many heart attacks and related deaths in

women

treated with the combined regimen of estrogens and a progesterone

derivative, as with placebo, but the coronary problems occurred

sooner

in women taking hormones. Hormone-treated women were also more

likely to

develop dangerous blood clots and gallbladder disease.7 Controlling

calcium losses is a much safer strategy.

 

Reversing Osteoporosis

If you already have osteoporosis, you will want to speak with your

doctor about exercises and perhaps even medications that can reverse

it.

 

Osteoporosis in Men

Osteoporosis is less common in men than in women, and its causes are

somewhat different. In about half the cases, a specific cause can be

identified and addressed:8

 

Steroid medications, such as prednisone, are a common cause of bone

loss

and fractures. If you are receiving steroids, you will want to work

with

your doctor to minimize the dose and to explore other treatments.

Alcohol can weaken your bones, apparently by reducing the body's

ability

to make new bone to replace normal losses. The effect is probably

only

significant if you have more than two drinks per day of spirits,

beer,

or wine.

A lower than normal amount of testosterone can encourage

osteoporosis.

About 40 percent of men over 70 years of age have decreased levels

of

testosterone.

In many of the remaining cases, the causes are excessive calcium

losses

and inadequate vitamin D. The first part of the solution is to avoid

animal protein, excess salt and caffeine, and tobacco, and to stay

physically active in order to reduce calcium losses. Second, take

vitamin D supplements as prescribed by your physician. The usual

amount

is 200 IU (5 micrograms) per day, but it may be doubled if you get

no

sun exposure at all. If you have trouble absorbing calcium due to

reduced stomach acid, your doctor can recommend hydrochloric acid

supplements.

 

Calcium and Magnesium in Foods (milligrams)

Food Source Calcium Magnesium

Collards (1 cup, boiled)

358

52

 

Orange juice, calcium-fortified (1 cup) 350*

--

 

Oatmeal, instant (2 packets)

326

70

 

Figs, dried (10 medium)

269

111

 

Tofu, calcium-set (1/2 cup)

258

118

 

Spinach (1 cup, boiled)

244

158

 

Soybeans (1 cup, boiled) 175

148

 

White beans (1 cup, boiled) 161

113

 

Mustard greens (1 cup, boiled) 150

20

 

Navy beans (1 cup, boiled)

128

107

 

Vegetarian baked beans (1 cup)

128

82

 

Great northern beans (1 cup, boiled) 121

88

 

Black turtle beans (1 cup, boiled) 103

91

 

Swiss chard (1 cup, boiled)

102

152

 

Broccoli (1 cup, boiled)

94

38

 

Kale (1 cup boiled)

94

24

 

English muffin

92

11

 

Butternut squash (1 cup, boiled)

84

60

 

Pinto beans (1 cup, boiled)

82

95

 

Chick peas (1 cup, canned) 80

78

 

Sweet potato (1 cup, boiled)

70

32

 

Green beans (1 cup, boiled) 58

32

 

Barley (1 cup)

57

158

 

Brussels sprouts (8 sprouts) 56

32

 

Navel orange (1 medium)

56

15

 

Raisins (2/3 cup)

53

35

 

Source: J.A.T. Pennington, Bowes and Church's Food Values of

Portions

Commonly Used. (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1994.)

*Information from manufacturer

 

 

References

1. Feskanich D, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA. Milk, dietary

calcium, and bone fractures in women: a 12-year prospective study.

Am J

Publ Health 1997;87:992-7.

2. Cumming RG, Klineberg RJ. Case-control study of risk factors for

hip

fractures in the elderly. Am J Epidemiol 1994;139:493-503.

3. Nordin BEC, Need AG, Morris HA, Horowitz M. The nature and

significance of the relationship between urinary sodium and urinary

calcium in women. J Nutr 1993;123:1615-22.

4. Remer T, Manz F. Estimation of the renal net acid excretion by

adults

consuming diets containing variable amounts of protein. Am J Clin

Nutr

1994;59:1356-61.

5. Hopper JL, Seeman E. The bone density of female twins discordant

for

tobacco use. N Engl J Med 1994;330:387-92.

6. Colditz GA, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, et al. Type of

postmenopausal

hormone use and risk of breast cancer: 12-year follow-up from the

Nurses' Health Study. Cancer Causes and Control 1992;3:433-9.

7. Hulley S, Grady D, Bush T, et al. Randomized trial of estrogen

plus

progestin for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease in

postmenopausal women. JAMA 1998;280:605-13.

8. Peris P, Guanabens N, Monegal A, et al. Aetiology and presenting

symptoms in male osteoporosis. Br J Rheumatol 1995;34:936-41.

 

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets