Archive for the 'bone health' Category

Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 8: Saturated Fat

Published on February 22, 2012 in bone health and healthy aging spotlight. 0 Comments

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each week, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 8: Saturated Fat

In most areas of human health, whenever fish oils are beneficial, saturated animal fats are detrimental. Your bones are no exception. As shown by the results of a study of 14,850 men and women (part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III) the more saturated fat that is consumed every day, the weaker the bones of the hip become.14 The bone-weakening effects of saturated fatty acids may result from the tendency of this type of fat to increase inflammation, both locally within the hip and systemically throughout the body. This finding is in line with everything else that is known about saturated fats, which as a body of evidence encourages you to reduce your consumption of these generally unhealthy fats.

Next Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging topic:
Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 9: Protein

References:
14. Corwin RL, Hartman TJ, Maczuga SA, Graubard BI. Dietary saturated fat intake is inversely associated with bone density in humans: Analysis of NHANES III. J Nutr 2006;136:159-165.

Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 7: Fish Oils

Published on February 21, 2012 in bone health, healthy aging spotlight and omega 3 fish oil. 0 Comments

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each week, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 7: Fish Oils

Relationships between dietary fatty acids and bone health are only recently becoming appreciated. A role for the fish oils in bone certainly is suggested by their appearance within bone tissue. In the presence of the fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), bone cells display a healthy normalization of the immune response and secrete less of the bone resorption-promoting prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) when stimulated by the chemical messenger interleukin-1. Feeding rats fish oils decreases the rate of bone loss that results experimentally from a calcium-deficient diet. The bone mineral density of the hip in men and of the hip and spine in women were reported to be directly proportional to the average daily intake of fish oils.13 Although the results of dietary supplementation studies in humans have not yet been reported, the available evidence all points toward an important bone health-enhancing effect of fish oils.

Next Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging topic:
Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 8: Saturated Fat

References:
13. Weiss LA, Barrett-Connor E, von Muhlen D. Ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids and bone mineral density in older adults: The Rancho Bernardo Study. Am J Clin Nutr 2005;81:934-938.

Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 6: Boron

Published on February 13, 2012 in bone health, boron and healthy aging spotlight. 0 Comments

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each week, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 6: Boron

A trace mineral that is found within bone, boron is yet to be assigned a specific function in maintaining bone health. However, rats fed a boron-free diet develop weak bones. The possible dependency of bone health on boron may be explained by reports that boron supplementation (3 mg daily) increased the conversion of vitamin D to 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OHD3) in women and that boron may be required for maximum efficiency in the absorption of calcium. An unanticipated relationship between boron, vitamin D and calcium absorption could account for the report that attributed maintenance of higher bone mineral density in women to daily dietary supplementation with 3 mg of boron.12

Next Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging topic:
Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 7: Fish Oils

References:
12. Nielsen FH, Hunt CD, Mullen LM, Hunt JR. Effect of dietary boron on mineral, estrogen, and testosterone metabolism in postmenopausal women. FASEB J 1987;1:394-397.

Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 5: Magnesium

Published on February 10, 2012 in bone health, healthy aging spotlight and magnesium. 0 Comments

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each week, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 5: Magnesium

Next to calcium and phosphorus, magnesium is the third most important mineral in the human skeleton. The results of a study assessing the importance of magnesium for bone health found that higher intakes of this mineral from the diet and dietary supplements was a predictor of higher bone mineral density in white males and females.11 The large study assessed 2,038 men and women aged between 70 and 79 years of age. Again, no surprise: the density and strength of adult bones increases as daily magnesium intake increases.

Next Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging topic:
Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 6: Boron

References:
11. Ryder KM, Shorr RI, Bush AJ, Kritchevsky SB, Harris T, Stone K, Cauley J, Tylavsky FA. Magnesium intake from food and supplements is associated with bone mineral density in healthy older white subjects.J Am Geriatr Soc. 2005 Nov;53(11):1875-80.

Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 4: Phosphorus

Published on February 6, 2012 in bone health, healthy aging spotlight and phosphorus. 0 Comments

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each week, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 4: Phosphorus

The mineral phosphorus is as important to bone health as calcium. However, calcium and phosphorus sit on opposing sides of the mineral balance upon which your bones depend. Although phosphorus plays very critical roles in proving “attachment” sites for calcium in the mineral-dense areas of bone, it can compete with calcium for “room” in the blood. In other words, as the amount of phosphorus in the blood increases, the kidneys send more calcium out of the body. If your usual condition is too much phosphorus in your blood, then there will usually be too little calcium circulating through your body and the parathyroid gland will spark into action. As your bones are dissolved in the futile attempt to restore your blood’s calcium content, the high level of phosphorus keeps on stimulating the kidney to shoot calcium back out – a bad situation for your skeleton. Because most people in North America habitually tend to consume foods and beverages that provide enormous amounts of phosphorus, restraint rather than supplementation is the key to healthy phosphorus nutrition.

Next Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging topic:
Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 5: Magnesium

Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 3: Vitamin C

Published on January 30, 2012 in bone health, healthy aging spotlight and vitamin c. 0 Comments

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each week, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 3: Vitamin C

Collagen is the major structural protein in bone. The proper synthesis and linking of collagen fibers requires large amounts of vitamin C. It is not surprising that nutritionists have found that the density and strength of adult bones increases as daily vitamin C intake increases.9,10 With so many other ways to benefit from a regular intake of vitamin C, why take chances with your bones?

Next Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging topic:
Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 4: Phosphorus

References:
9. Macdonald HM, New SA, Golden MH, Campbell MK, Reid DM. Nutritional associations with bone loss during the menopausal transition: Evidence of a beneficial effect of calcium, alcohol, and fruit and vegetable nutrients and of a detrimental effect of fatty acids. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;79:155-165.
10. Maggio D, Barabani M, Pierandrei M, Polidori MC, Catani M, Mecocci P, Senin U, Pacifici R, Cherubini A. Marked decrease in plasma antioxidants in aged osteoporotic women: Results of a crosssectional study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2003;88:1523-7152.

Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 2: What is the “Real” Vitamin D Requirement?

Published on January 26, 2012 in bone health, healthy aging spotlight and vitamin d. 0 Comments

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each week, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 2: What is the “Real” Vitamin D Requirement?

The true test of vitamin D adequacy is whether it prevents the parathyroid glands from secreting parathyroid hormone (PTH). What does the scientific evidence say? Daily intakes of vitamin D much greater than the recommended 400 IU are required to minimize PTH secretion and optimize skeletal health. The results of a statistical analysis of published research published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that men and women over 60 years of age who routinely consumed double the RDA (about 800 IU of vitamin D daily) suffered 25% fewer hip fractures than those who stuck to the RDA.5 Consistent with this analysis, the results of the Women’s Health Initiative Study published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine proved that the RDA for vitamin D was no better than vitamin D deficient diets in protecting the skeleton.6 As shown in the results of another study published recently in the British Medical Journal, even 800 IU daily may not be enough vitamin D for every elderly person.7

Scientists now conclude that an average vitamin D intake of 1000 IU daily is needed by most adults (some may require more) and that an average daily vitamin D intake of 2600 IU would be required in order to ensure that very few older women could become functionally vitamin D deficient. A pioneer of vitamin D research, Dr. Hector F. DeLuca of the University of Wisconsin, has advised all adults to consume 2000 IU of vitamin D daily to optimize health.8 As detailed in the vitamin D chapter later on in this book, many researchers feel that a number of people may need much higher amounts. The FDA also agrees about the importance of achieving adequate intake of vitamin D along with calcium throughout life. In a claim they’ve approved about the relationship between vitamin D and calcium together, they state that, “Adequate calcium and vitamin D throughout life, as part of a well-balanced diet, may reduce the risk of osteoporosis.” Calcium is the structural backbone for skeletal health and vitamin D controls its incorporation into tissues. Both are vital to promoting healthy bone structure and density.

Next Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging topic:
Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 3: Vitamin C

References:
5. Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Willett WC, Wong JB, Giovannucci E, Dietrich T, Dawson-Hughes B. Fracture prevention with vitamin D supplementation: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. JAMA 2005;293:2257-2264.
6. Jackson RD, LaCroix AZ, Gass M, Wallace RB, Robbins J, Lewis CE, Bassford T, Beresford SA, Black HR, Blanchette P, Bonds DE, Brunner RL, Brzyski RG, Caan B, Cauley JA, Chlebowski RT, Cummings SR, Granek I, Hays J, Heiss G, Hendrix SL, Howard BV, Hsia J, Hubbell FA, Johnson KC, Judd H, Kotchen JM, Kuller LH, Langer RD, Lasser NL, Limacher MC, Ludlam S, Manson JE, Margolis KL, McGowan J, Ockene JK, O’Sullivan MJ, Phillips L, Prentice RL, Sarto GE, Stefanick ML, Van Horn L, Wactawski-Wende J, Whitlock E, Anderson GL, Assaf AR, Barad D; Women’s Health Initiative Investigators. Calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and the risk of fractures. N Engl J Med 2006;354:669-683.
7. Porthouse J, Cockayne S, King C, Saxon L, Steele E, Aspray T, Baverstock M, Birks Y, Dumville J, Francis R, Iglesias C, Puffer S, Sutcliffe A, Watt I, Torgerson DJ. Randomised controlled trial of calcium and supplementation with cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) for prevention of fractures in primary care. BMJ 2005;330:1003 (6 pages). doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7498.1003 (http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/330/7498/1003).
8. DeLuca HF. Overview of general physiologic features and functions of vitamin D. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;80(Suppl.):1689S-1696S.

Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 1: Calcium and Vitamin D

Published on January 24, 2012 in bone health, calcium, healthy aging spotlight and vitamin d. 0 Comments

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each week, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 1 Calcium and Vitamin D – never alone, always together

The bedrock of every bone is an excellent supply of calcium and vitamin D. It’s only logical – the hard substance of a bone is mostly calcium and vitamin D is needed in order for the gut to absorb calcium and for the bones to know what to do with it. Vitamin D regulates the body’s calcium metabolism (and does much more). The importance of vitamin D for health is no longer a theory. It’s a scientific fact. Its importance for bone health in conjunction with calcium is also well-established.

The results of three “gold standard” randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials all have shown that dietary supplementation with calcium promotes healthy bone structure. In one of these studies, elderly postmenopausal women without previous fractures responded to 4 years of daily dietary supplementation with 1000 mg of calcium with enhanced bone density and structure when compared to similar women being fed a placebo.2 Similarly, a second study showed that elderly postmenopausal women who had previously suffered a spontaneous bone fracture, and had a lifetime of poor calcium nutrition prior to the study, responded to 4 years of daily dietary supplementation with 1200 mg of calcium with 77% fewer new spinal fractures than occurred in women fed a placebo for the 4 years.3 In the third randomized placebo-controlled study, women who previously had suffered multiple fractures and then supplemented their diets with 1500 mg to 2500 mg of calcium daily also enjoyed fewer new fractures than were endured by similar women fed a placebo.4

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recognized the relationship between good calcium nutrition and bone health by stating that “Adequate calcium throughout life, as part of a well-balanced diet, may reduce the risk of osteoporosis.” These government scientists continue to consider the significant scientific evidence that indicates that maintaining adequate calcium intake (that is, the amount that they recommend be consumed on a regular daily basis) can reduce the chances of suffering a spontaneous, “osteoporotic” fracture of the hip, spine or wrist.

A possible side-benefit of maintaining adequate calcium nutrition: On October 12, 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that although they found the scientific evidence inconsistent and not yet conclusive, they agreed that “Some scientific evidence suggests that calcium supplements may reduce the risk of hypertension.”

Another possible side-benefit of maintaining adequate calcium nutrition: On October 12, 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that although the supporting scientific evidence is sparse and not conclusive, “Some evidence suggests that calcium supplements may reduce the risk of colon/rectal cancer” and “Very limited and preliminary evidence suggests that calcium supplements may reduce the risk of colon/rectal polyps.”

But please do not think about calcium in isolation. The ability of calcium to benefit your bones (and cardiovascular system and digestive tract) depends on the cooperation of vitamin D. Unfortunately, even if you are making sure to get the recommended amount of vitamin D every single day, you still may not be getting enough vitamin D to optimally support your health.

Next Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging topic:
Tips for Better Bone Building, Part 2: What is the “Real” Vitamin D Requirement?

References:
2. Reid IR, Ames RW, Evans MC, Gamble GD, Sharpe SJ. Long-term effects of calcium supplementation on bone loss and fractures in postmenopausal women: A randomized controlled trial. Am J Med 1995;98:331-335.
3. Recker RR, Hinders S, Davies KM, Heaney RP, Stegman MR, Lappe JM, Kimmel DB. Correcting calcium nutritional deficiency prevents spine fractures in elderly women. J Bone Miner Res 996;11:1961- 1966.
4. Riggs BL, Seeman E, Hodgson SF, Taves DR, O’Fallon WM. Effect of the fluoride/calcium regimen on vertebral fracture occurrence in postmenopausal osteoporosis. Comparison with conventional therapy. N Engl J Med 1982;306:446-450.

Strong Bones – Strong Body

Published on January 17, 2012 in bone health and healthy aging spotlight. 0 Comments

This is part of our ongoing The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging spotlight. Each week, we will be posting some of the great information that’s packed into our book, The Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging.

Today’s topic:
Strong Bones – Strong Body

Healthy bones are fundamental to good health. Unhealthy bones are more than just a concern – they can signify a significant decrease in structural integrity and raise red flags for overall health status. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation,1 a quarter of all men and fully half of all women will break at least one bone after the age of fifty. In both men and women, about half of those breaks will involve the hip. Hip fractures are especially deadly – a hip fracture triples the chances of dying within 5 years. In fact, one year after suffering a hip fracture, 20% of the victims will be dead, another 30% will be permanently disabled and at least 80% will not recover. Chronic back pain, loss of height, deformities, sleep disorders and mood problems are common consequences endured by survivors.

Maintaining healthy bone function entails several fundamentals of diet, lifestyle and nutritional support. While not difficult, incorporating these fundamentals to support optimal bone health is a meticulous process that requires life-long attention.

Nutrition and Bone Health
There have been a number of exciting discoveries in the 21st century that have expanded this relationship far beyond “drink more milk.” Some well-known nutrients are becoming better understood and a few somewhat unexpected roles have been uncovered as the effects of the immune response on bones have begun to become appreciated. Excellent dietary practices (and a little help from bone-friendly supplements) and you’ll be standing tall for decades to come.

Next Best Kept Secrets to Healthy Aging topic:
Calcium and Vitamin D – never alone, always together

References:
1. International Osteoporosis Foundation. Osteoporosis: Teaching Slide Kit. Lyon, France. (http://www.osteofound.org/health_professionals/teaching_resources/slide_kit.html)