In theory, developing and maintaining healthy bones is relatively simple: you just need to consume enough calcium and get some exercise. The best calcium-rich foods are dairy products, vegetables such as broccoli, meat-alternatives such as lentils and beans, canned fish products containing bones, and some calcium-fortified soy beverages and orange juices. You also need vitamin D, which helps the body absorb the calcium you get from your food. The vitamin is produced naturally when your skin is exposed to sunlight, but it is also found in milk, liver, fish and eggs.
Finally, you’ll need about 30 minutes a day of exercise such as walking, running, skipping or stair-climbing. And it’s a good idea to do some resistance exercise such as weight-training or using exercise bands. “When you’re training a particular muscle group, it strengthens the bone in that area because it stresses it. Basically, when you stress the bone, that’s when it helps build it,” says Kelly Mills, director, communications & government relations for Osteoporosis Canada.
Oh, and keep caffeine-containing beverages down to three cups a day. If you have more, add one glass of milk for every extra cup you drink. Too complicated? “Have a café latte,” says Mills.
In reality, though, even though this sounds relatively simple, it’s often not. Many of us spend too much time in the car, sitting in front of the TV or a computer and not having the time or energy to keep track of our calcium intake. And from around October to March, thanks to Canada’s northern latitude, we don’t get enough sunlight for our skin to produce vitamin D — regardless of how much time we spend outside.
If your diet doesn’t cut it, you should at least take supplements. After 50, increase your calcium, double your vitamin D intake and evaluate your risk factors for osteoporosis with your physician to determine if you need a Bone Mineral Density test. “And everyone over 65 should have the test,” says Mills. For a list of risk factors, as well as a calcium calculator, and other resources, visit http://ca.rd.yahoo.com/lifestyles/articles/greenliving/SIG=10vufge5t/*http%3A//www.osteoporosis.ca/.
Not surprisingly, the most important time to build healthy bones is during childhood and adolescence. Bone mass reaches a peak in women at age 16 and in men at age 20. The greater the bone mass achieved at this peak, the less likely the bones will become porous and fragile in old age.
To give babies the best starting chance, pregnant or lactating moms don’t need to increase their calcium intake. “In general, there appears to be little impact on babies’ bone health from maternal calcium intake,” says Dr. Etienne Sochett, staff endocrinologist at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. In effect, the baby takes calcium from the mother’s bones to ensure he or she receives adequate calcium. This means that if the mom’s calcium intake is poor, it could set the stage for osteoporosis in her post-menopausal years, so it’s important that pregnant or lactating women meet their daily calcium requirements.
Health Canada recommends that breast-fed babies be given 40 IU of vitamin D supplements daily, and throughout childhood and adolescence, but many experts now recommend this be increased to 800 IU daily. Ensuring kids get enough exercise, calcium and vitamin D is as critical as it is difficult. “Adolescents make food choices from which they receive only about 75 percent of their calcium requirement,” says Dr. Sochett. “Effectively, many children and adolescents have either absolutely low or borderline low vitamin D levels for six months a year. This compromises their bone health and sets them up for osteoporosis in later years.” He adds, “The situation is made worse by the low rate of exercises during these years.”
So if you tell your kids to finish their broccoli, drink milk instead of pop, walk to school instead of getting a ride, play outside instead of inside, hooked to the TV or computer, and urge your teens to join an extra-curricular sports team, they might very well accuse you of being the meanest mom or dad in the world, but you’ll be investing in their bones — for life.
“Osteoporosis is a pediatric disease with geriatric consequences,” says Kelly Mills. “The bank of bone mass you build up in your early years will serve you as you age.”
Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco is a freelance writer who has written on education, family and health-related subjects for the National Post, Today’s Parent and Discover Magazine. She is a frequent latte drinker.
Finally, you’ll need about 30 minutes a day of exercise such as walking, running, skipping or stair-climbing. And it’s a good idea to do some resistance exercise such as weight-training or using exercise bands. “When you’re training a particular muscle group, it strengthens the bone in that area because it stresses it. Basically, when you stress the bone, that’s when it helps build it,” says Kelly Mills, director, communications & government relations for Osteoporosis Canada.
Oh, and keep caffeine-containing beverages down to three cups a day. If you have more, add one glass of milk for every extra cup you drink. Too complicated? “Have a café latte,” says Mills.
In reality, though, even though this sounds relatively simple, it’s often not. Many of us spend too much time in the car, sitting in front of the TV or a computer and not having the time or energy to keep track of our calcium intake. And from around October to March, thanks to Canada’s northern latitude, we don’t get enough sunlight for our skin to produce vitamin D — regardless of how much time we spend outside.
If your diet doesn’t cut it, you should at least take supplements. After 50, increase your calcium, double your vitamin D intake and evaluate your risk factors for osteoporosis with your physician to determine if you need a Bone Mineral Density test. “And everyone over 65 should have the test,” says Mills. For a list of risk factors, as well as a calcium calculator, and other resources, visit http://ca.rd.yahoo.com/lifestyles/articles/greenliving/SIG=10vufge5t/*http%3A//www.osteoporosis.ca/.
Not surprisingly, the most important time to build healthy bones is during childhood and adolescence. Bone mass reaches a peak in women at age 16 and in men at age 20. The greater the bone mass achieved at this peak, the less likely the bones will become porous and fragile in old age.
To give babies the best starting chance, pregnant or lactating moms don’t need to increase their calcium intake. “In general, there appears to be little impact on babies’ bone health from maternal calcium intake,” says Dr. Etienne Sochett, staff endocrinologist at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. In effect, the baby takes calcium from the mother’s bones to ensure he or she receives adequate calcium. This means that if the mom’s calcium intake is poor, it could set the stage for osteoporosis in her post-menopausal years, so it’s important that pregnant or lactating women meet their daily calcium requirements.
Health Canada recommends that breast-fed babies be given 40 IU of vitamin D supplements daily, and throughout childhood and adolescence, but many experts now recommend this be increased to 800 IU daily. Ensuring kids get enough exercise, calcium and vitamin D is as critical as it is difficult. “Adolescents make food choices from which they receive only about 75 percent of their calcium requirement,” says Dr. Sochett. “Effectively, many children and adolescents have either absolutely low or borderline low vitamin D levels for six months a year. This compromises their bone health and sets them up for osteoporosis in later years.” He adds, “The situation is made worse by the low rate of exercises during these years.”
So if you tell your kids to finish their broccoli, drink milk instead of pop, walk to school instead of getting a ride, play outside instead of inside, hooked to the TV or computer, and urge your teens to join an extra-curricular sports team, they might very well accuse you of being the meanest mom or dad in the world, but you’ll be investing in their bones — for life.
“Osteoporosis is a pediatric disease with geriatric consequences,” says Kelly Mills. “The bank of bone mass you build up in your early years will serve you as you age.”
Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco is a freelance writer who has written on education, family and health-related subjects for the National Post, Today’s Parent and Discover Magazine. She is a frequent latte drinker.
