Today we are taking a closer look at osteoporosis and bone health. This was actually a Wellness Wednesday post I was working on but turned out to be way longer than Facebook and Instagram allow so I turned the complete post into a blog article! You’re welcome!

Osteoporosis means “porous bone”. Bone is a living tissue that is constantly being broken down and rebuilt, even in adults. It is not just the result of loss of calcium. When more bone is breaking down than is being formed, osteoporosis results. Unfortunately, there are usually no symptoms until the condition is so severe that there is a fracture or compression on the spine which results in pain.

What causes osteoporosis?

Dietary factors attributed to osteoporosis include diets low in calcium, high phosphorus intake, high refined sugar intake, a high-protein diet, high salt intake, high acid-ash diets, and trace mineral deficiencies, to name a few. Other risk factors for osteoporosis include family history, alcoholism, smoking, physical inactivity, short stature, low body mass, and small bones.

What can you do to help prevent osteoporosis and help strengthen bone health?

• Physical activity is the major determinant of bone density. Workout for at least 60 minutes, 3 days a week doing weight-bearing exercise. Walking is a great place to start! Using weights for strength work is also beneficial because it puts extra stress on your bones – that’s a GOOD thing! Using your body weight is also good, but using weights is better. An activity such as swimming, although great for your heart and other health benefits, does not have the same positive benefit on your bone health as weight-bearing exercise.

• Coffee (sorry), alcohol (sorry, again!), and smoking create a negative calcium balance in the body and increases the risk for osteoporosis. Eliminate or limit consumption.

• A vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of osteoporosis, especially in the latter decades of life. Vegetarians have been shown to have decreased bone loss as compared to those eating lots of animal products.

• High-protein diets are associated with increased excretion of calcium in the urine and increased overall risk of osteoporosis. On the flip side of that, too little protein also increases the risk. Balance is key. If you eat meat at every meal, chances are you are eating a high-protein diet. If you are attempting to eat a “Keto” diet using animal products (meat and dairy) you are definitely eating a high-protein diet. By focusing on plant sources of protein, you can reduce your risk of osteoporosis but still consume adequate amounts of protein. Good plant sources of protein include beans and other legumes, whole soy products (edamame, tempeh, soy milk, and tofu), whole grains, and many vegetables.

• Soft drinks usually contain phosphates and high phosphorous intake is associated with increased risk. Eliminating soft drinks is recommended.

• Eat LOTS of plants! Plants (fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains) are considered alkaline – yes, even though fruit contains acid, it is still not considered an “acidic” food. By limiting salt and “acidic” foods such as meat, dairy, and processed foods, you will create an internal environment that supports bone health and reduces the risk for osteoporosis.

• Green leafy vegetables from the cabbage family as well as green tea are excellent sources of trace minerals (remember, deficiency of trace minerals increases your risk). Leafy greens are a great source of calcium, despite what your doctor might tell you.

• Limit refined sugar. Refined sugar (this refers to things like cookies, ice cream, candy, ect. but NOT fruit) is not healthy and should be limited, especially if you are at risk for osteoporosis.

The next obvious question is…

“What do I do if I already have been diagnosed with osteoporosis?”

Of course, prevention is key. But often, we don’t know about a condition until it’s too late. What can you do?

If you have already been diagnosed with osteoporosis or low bone density, I would recommend working with a nutritionist to help build a strong plan to make dietary and lifestyle changes. Addressing nutrient deficiencies is a great place to start, but you will need to work with a professional to get the proper testing.

Changes you can make right away are increasing your physical activity. If you are not very active, you could start with taking a walk around the block, to your mailbox, or from one end of the house to the other during commercial breaks. It’s important to start where you are. The next thing you could do is to look at what you are eating and drinking. Use the list above to identify areas of improvement. If you drink four cups of coffee every day, could you reduce that to three? Or swap one cup out for green tea? If you drink a glass of wine every night, could you swap that with water one night a week? If you don’t eat any leafy green vegetables, could you add a side salad to your dinner a few nights a week? The important thing to do is make changes that you are ready to make. However, if you have been diagnosed already, making changes sooner rather than later is best. Change is uncomfortable and can be tough. Finding a support system may help.

Doing nothing is probably not a good idea. Or deciding to just start taking calcium supplements is likely not enough. There is limited research on the effectiveness of calcium supplements. Whole foods are almost always the most reliable way to get nutrients into your body because the truth of the matter is that we just don’t have enough research available to know how foreign substances (i.e. supplements) react with your body. Relying on them as your only measure of defense is a risky bet. Supplements do not make up for a healthy diet and they do nothing to address physical activity.

No matter how you look at it, there is a strong connection between osteoporosis and diet and lifestyle factors as well as family history. But that is a good thing because it means there is a lot that every one of us can do to prevent it and possibly help to reverse some of the damage.

Need help figuring out where to start? I would love to help you with that!

Let’s talk again soon!

Peace, love & kale!
Lindsay

Murray, M. & Pizzorno, J.  (2002). The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. Atria Books: New York, NY.