Osteoporosis is a chronic disorder that happens when a person's bones get too weak that they easily fracture (Downy & Siegel 2006). This happens when the bone mineral density (BMD), which is the sponge-like fibers in the bones, disintegrates. To the right, you can see a picture that shows the effects of osteoporosis on BMD.
However, osteoporosis is HIGHLY preventable. Of course, genetics influences the amount of BMD a person's has. Study's suggest that genetics determine between 60-80% of a person's BMD (Nieman 1998). Also, women are more likely to develop osteoporosis because their BMD's tend to peak at a younger age in comparison to men and it decreases more rapidly due to decreased estrogen levels from menopause (Vondracek 2010). But diet and exercise have HUGE impacts on maintaining and increasing BMD is people.
Has your mother ever told you to finish your milk at dinner or to go play outside in the sun? Well this is because milk contains calcium and the body absorbs vitamin D from the sun. Calcium is the main nutrient that supports bone growth. The fibers in the bone absorb calcium, and use it to strengthen the fibers and to store excess calcium. However, in order for calcium to be absorbed, it needs vitamin D. One of the roles of vitamin D in the body is to produce the hormone calcitriol which is responsible for regulating the amount of calcium in the bloodstream. Without vitamin D, the body takes the stored calcium in the bones to use in the rest of the body, making the bones weaker. Therefore it is important that a person consumes the appropriate amount of calcium and vitamin D everyday.
For a complete list of foods with calcium and vitamin D and the recommended amounts you should take, click here.
This is one of the reasons why I think that an omelette with orange juice is a perfect, balanced breakfast. You get vitamin D from the eggs, and calcium from the orange juice, plus all the other great nutrients from the veggies you put into the omelette. Yummy, yummy (don't forget the whole-wheat toast ;) ). However, this doesn't really work if you are a vegan. In that case, eat fortified cereals or soy milk or both. They are sources of vitamin D too! :)
Unfortunately, people stop naturally building their BMD by the age of about 25. So it is SUPER important that children, especially, get the recommended amount of calcium and vitamin D to build up as much of their BMD as possible.
However, my project was not on the nutrition of osteoporosis; it was on how exercise can be used to treat osteoporosis. Exercise has been shown to increase a person's BMD both before and after someone in diagnosed with osteoporosis. Unfortunately, many people with osteoporosis either don't believe they can exercise because of their weak bones or have a fear of exercises because they don't want to fracture any bones. But exercise is probably the best thing for them to do to maintain or increase their BMD level. You can read my paper below. It explains the research on exercise and osteoporosis as well as gives a sample of an exercise routine for someone with osteoporosis.
Enjoy! Oh...and don't forget to get your calcium and vitamin D and to get your body movin' and groovin'. :)
Osteoporosis and Exercise -
No comments:
Post a Comment