“Youth is wasted on the young.” Have you heard that
saying? Spinal Care Clinic supposes that there’s
a bit of truth in that for all of us - and especially
our Burlington and Hamilton spines - as we age. When we are young, our
bodies require our attention more than we gave. Our youthful
bones and spines and bodies need proper nutrition so
that our older bones and spine and bodies are healthy
when we want to live our lives less painfully and more
fully. Spinal Care Clinic reveals what Burlington and Hamilton
chiropractic patients can do now to tackle bone mineral
density (BMD) issues, no matter their current age.
BMD AND OSTEOPOROSIS: BUILD BMD WHILE YOUNG
Optimizing peak bone mass early in life may reduce
osteoporosis risk later in life. A new report stated
that Vitamin D and calcium in females positively affected bone mineral density
into young adulthood. Intakes of phosphorous and the calcium:phosphorous ratio
at adolescence for females negatively influenced BMD in young
adulthood. Calcium intake in adolescent males strongly negatively influenced
BMD in the lumbar spine at young adulthood. Other leading
factors were body weight at adolescence and young adulthood which positively affected
BMD. (1) Spinal Care Clinic can’t emphasize enough just
how important nutrition is for their future health.
BENEFITS OF IMPROVED NUTRITION BEYOND BETTER BONE MINERAL
DENSITY
Osteoporosis is a disease of older people that results
from youthful (in)attention. Low serum levels of vitamin D in osteoporotic
women have a tendency to have an heightened chance
of having any type of cancer and breast cancer. (2) Calcium intake during
the teen years of life is vital to decrease the
risk of osteoporosis later in life. Teen girls absorb calcium better: 326mg in teenage girls versus just 73mg in older women of 1332 mg taken daily.
Even more problematic is that teen girls’ daily intake
of calcium is way below what it should be. Boosting
bone mass by only 5% cuts the risk of fracture
by 40%. (3) Achieving healthy bones hinges on more than just calcium and vitamin D though.
Deficiencies of vitamins B, C, E, and K as well as retinol compromise
bone’s health. (4) Spinal Care Clinic shares
these findings to encourage us all to increase
intake of nutrients to build bone mass initially and support it
later to keep it healthy.
IMPROVE ABSORPTION OF NUTRIENTS
Spinal Care Clinic knows that kids and their
families want to be sure that their nutritional efforts will be of value. TIP: Dietary fiber may raise the body’s
absorption of calcium but does it in different ways for older
men and women. Greater intake of dietary fiber and fruit fiber was
protective against bone loss in men but not women. Fiber from vegetables was
protective against spine bone loss in women but not men. Cereal fiber or nut
and legume fiber improvements didn’t associate
with bone loss in either men or women. Higher dietary fiber may decrease
bone loss in men. (5) Who would have thought that fiber would
have anything to do with bone mineral density? Spinal Care Clinic supposes
that many of our Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic patients would not
have!
FIBER’S DEFENSE OF MEN’S BMD
Luckily, some most perceptive doctors and
researchers did observe that fiber intake was a protective factor of
lumbar spine BMD in men aged 18 and 45 years of
age but not in women. In men over 65 years, nutrient
intake indicated no effect on BMD. In women between 18 and 45,
fiber did not produce a significant effect
on BMDs, but daily fat intake did significantly. (6) An interesting side note: A new study
refutes the idea that BMD may be a risk factor
for lumbar disc herniation in youth, but a new study discredited that
thought. (7) However, there is
evidence in the medical literature that emphasizes the overall
benefit of nutrition - and now fiber intake in men - on the well-being
of the body, its bones and its spine.
CONTACT Spinal Care Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Nike Taylor on The Back
Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she helps a patients with
chronic low back pain with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your next Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic
appointment with Spinal Care Clinic where your spine, body and its bones are well understood
in their current age whether they were treated well in their youth or not!