Osteoporosis: The Effect of Diet and Exercise
06.30.08 | in Fitness | 2 Comments Share
Osteoporosis risk factors and prevention information from Certified Personal Trainer Paul Stofko.
This post has been provided by Paul "Crazy Legs" Stofko, a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Running Coach and marathon/ultrarunner with degrees in Exercise Science and Nutrition. Check out our interview with Paul for background and contact information.
What is Osteoporosis?
Is a bone-weakening disease that develops gradually and bones develop spaces and canals. These spaces enlarge and fill with fibrous and fatty tissue. This makes bones so fragile that they fracture under normal use. Roughly 25 million Americans, both men and women, suffer from this disease. Researchers are predicting that the prevalence could rise to 41 million by the year 2015, unless steps are taken to prevent the disease.
What are risk factors of osteoporosis?
- Gender Women are about four time more likely than men to develop osteoporosis. Women have less bone mass than men. They also lose bone more rapidly at menopause.
- Race Caucasians and Asians have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis than African Americans
- Age After middle age, everyone loses bone as he or she ages
- Inactivity Lack of regular exercise, especially weight-bearing exercise such as walking or bicycling, increase bone loss.
- Hormones The decrease in estrogen that occurs with menopause accelerates bone loss. Accelerated bones loss also occurs when women stop menstruating as a result of low body weight or excessive exercise.
- Chronic Low Calcium Intake A low intake of calcium through life limits the amount of bone being built. In adulthood, this may lead to greater bone loss.
What can you do to prevent osteoporosis?
Estrogen therapy can help to reduce this bone loss associated with menopause. But to lessen normal age-related bone loss, all adults should consume adequate calcium, engage in regular weight-bearing exercise, stop smoking, and moderate consumption of alcohol.
Many Americans do not consume enough calcium. The typical American only get 600 mg each day. Recommended intake of calcium is 1200 mg per day for males and females ages 11-24. All adults ages 25 and over should consume at least 800 mg of calcium per day.
Foods that provide calcium:
- milk, cheese, and yogurt (8 oz.)
- broccoli (4 cups)
- kale (3 cups)
- salmon with bones (4 ½ oz.)
Although some people take calcium supplements, foods are still the preferred source of calcium.
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Photo courtesy of SMN at Flickr
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Comments
Thanks Jacqueline, that looks like a good resource.
John | July 31, 2008
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I am trying to gather up on the bone health info I can and you offer some good nuggets here. I’ve been reading so much in the past few hours and have to say, I never knew how much hormones factor in to bone loss. If you are interested, here’s an other article that goes more in depth to some of your points:
http://www.womentowomen.com/bonehealth/osteoporosis.aspx
Jacqueline Tourville | July 31, 2008