PREVENTING OSTEOPOROSIS
by Dan DeFigio
Osteoporosis is a degenerative bone
condition afflicting millions of people. Post-menopausal women are especially
vulnerable, because low estrogen levels tend to accelerate bone loss.
Excessive caffeine or sugar intake has been shown to exacerbate this condition.
Osteoporosis can be arrested, and even reversed through proper nutrition
and exercise.
The first line of defense against
loss of bone tissue is proper calcium nutrition. Calcium is used for numerous
functions throughout the body, and if your calcium levels are low, your
body will break down bone tissue to get what it needs. Not good. The best
sources of dietary calcium are dairy products and leafy greens. Like you
haven't heard that a couple hundred times before, right? Well, listen
up -- what follows may be new information for you. There are some foods
you should avoid when eating your calcium. Phytates in grains bind with
calcium and inhibit absorption. So do the oxalates in spinach, chocolate,
and coffee. Adding milk to your coffee for extra calcium just isn't helping.
Calcium by itself won't build a molecule
of bone tissue! That's why the millions of calcium supplements that are
handed out every year don't make a dent in the osteoporosis epidemic.
Two reasons: To use calcium, your body must have adequate supplies of
magnesium, vitamin D, silicon, fluoride, zinc, copper, phosphorous, manganese,
boron, and possibly others that we don't yet recognize. Multi-nutrient
synergy is essential for bone growth! Calcium pills don't work by themselves
- take a high quality multi-vitamin/mineral supplement.* Your body will
not build any new bone tissue unless it has to. Weight training stresses
the skeleton in multiple directions and stimulates your body to create
new bone tissue. Vibration training (whole-body vibration) has been proven
to increase bone density.
People must accept the fact that
the only way to beat osteoporosis is through proper nutrition and weight
bearing exercise. Exercise utilizing Whole Body Vibration equipment has proved to be a superior way to increase bone density.
Click
here to read about our Osteoporosis Prevention
Program.
Click here to return to the General Fitness article menu.
*Incidentally, not just any old vitamin
supplement will do. Click here for current recommendations
for quality nutrition supplements.
©2006 BASICS AND BEYOND, LLC
Basics and Beyond | Telephone (615) 442-7700 | Email
-
|