Press Release - World
Osteoporosis Day 2006 'Here’s to Your Bone Health'
October 19, 2006
World
Osteoporosis Day, on October 20th this year, celebrates the
theme Bone Appetit, the role of food and nutrition in building
and maintaining strong bones. Osteoporosis is a serious disease,
but individuals can do much to ensure long term bone health by
building strong bones through a healthy lifestyle.
Osteoporosis is a disease in which the density of bone is
reduced, leading to weakness of the skeleton and increased risk
of fracture, particularly of the spine, wrist, hip, pelvis and
upper arm. Osteoporosis is one of the world’s most common and
debilitating diseases. Previously, the majority of osteoporotic
fractures occurred in the western world but due to demographic
changes, it is projected that more than 50% of all osteoporotic
hip fractures in the world will be in Asia by the year 2050.
What Happens To You:
In a normal, healthy adult, bone is continually absorbed into
the body and then rebuilt. During childhood, teen years and
early adulthood, new bone tissue is added faster than existing
bone is absorbed. As a result, bones become larger and heavier
until about age 30 when peak bone mass is reached. After age 30,
this process begins to reverse. After age 40 to 50, the rate at
which bone dissolves and is absorbed by the body increases,
resulting in declining bone mass. The more bone mass is
developed early in life, the less likely osteoporosis will
develop.
What You Can Do:
Although genetic factors influence your chances of developing
osteoporosis, there is much individuals can do to overcome this.
Nutrition and exercise can lay the foundation for development of
strong bones in early life, as well as delay bone loss at a
later stage in life. These lifestyle factors are well within
your control and you can take the following steps to protect
yourself.
1. Nutrition and Bone Health – Eat for Your Bone
The skeleton needs a good balance of nutrients for its
development and maintenance. For optimum bone health, the two
key nutrients are calcium and vitamin D.
Calcium
Having sufficient calcium during the various stages in life is
crucial in laying the foundation for future bone health. The
joint recommendations of the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organisation and the World Health Organisation are a daily
calcium intake of 500 – 700 mg a day during childhood; 1300 mg
per day for young people aged 10 – 18, for those over 65, and
for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and 1000 mg per day
for all other adults.
Calcium is most concentrated in milk and milk products
(including yogurt and cheese), in certain leafy, green
vegetables (broccoli, spinach, kale), in legumes, and in some
nuts. Milk and diary foods are among the richest and most
readily available sources of calcium. Two or three servings of
dairy foods, (a 200 ml glass of milk would be equivalent to one
serving), would ensure that virtually all children and adults
would achieve this level of calcium intake. Other important
sources of calcium include green vegetables such as kale, bok
choi and broccoli; nuts especially almonds and brazil nuts;
whole fish such as canned salmon or sardines with bones in, or
small fish cooked and eaten whole such as anchovies.
Calcium-enriched soy products, such as tofu, tempeh, bean curd
sticks and soy milk and soy-based deserts and snacks are also
very useful sources for many in Asia.
In addition, you may also find calcium-fortified products such
as orange juice and cereal bars. The table below shows the
amounts of calcium in one serving of some calcium-rich foods
mentioned.
t_Articles
Common Calcium-Rich Foods
Food Type: Diary
Calcium Content (in mg)
Whole milk (1 cup/244g)
276 mg
Calcium fortified, non fat milk (1 cup/247g)
504 mg
Plain, low fat yogurt (1 cup/8 fl. oz)
448 mg
Vanilla ice cream (1 cup/72g)
92 mg
Food Type: Soy
Silken soft tofu (100g)
31 mg
Calcium-fortified firm tofu (1/2 cup, 126g))
253 mg
Soy milk (1 cup/245g)
93 mg
Calcium-fortified soy milk (1 cup/245g)
368 mg
Food Type: Canned Fish
Canned salmon with bones (1 can/454g)
967 mg
Canned sardines with bones (1 can/ 370g)
888 mg
Source:
USDA Agricultural Research Service, Nutrient Data Laboratory
Vitamin D
Vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus.
It regulates how much calcium remains in your blood and how
much is deposited in bones and teeth. Vitamin D is produced
when skin is exposed to sunlight but there is increasing
evidence that many individuals are not maintaining optimal
vitamin D levels in the body through exposure to sunlight
and therefore need to top up body reserves with adequate
dietary intake. Dietary sources of vitamin D are oily fish
such as salmon, mackerel and sardines, and egg yolks, liver,
as well as fortified foods such as cereals and margarines.
Research repeatedly confirms that a diet rich in calcium and
vitamin D is essential in building and maintaining bone
health. Indeed, maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy
and infant bone growth have been shown to influence future
fracture risk as a study revealed during the International
Osteoporosis Foundation’s World Congress on Osteoporosis in
Toronto recently. “Now we have evidence that the bone mass
you have at the age of 80 reflects what you started with
very early in life,” said Dr Kassim Javaid of the MRC
Epidemiology Resource Center, Southhampton, UK.
The role of dietary protein is less clear. Some studies
suggest that too much protein heightens fracture risk, in
part by causing calcium to leach from the bones. But
insufficient protein might also increase fracture risk by
reducing bone mass. A study conducted by Loma Linda
University in California, USA, showed that high protein
vegetable sources – including nuts, beans and soy protected
vegetarian women from wrist fracture. Similarly
animal-derived protein foods, such as cheese and meat
consumed three times a week have also been found to be
protective.
2. Physical Activity – Exercise
Both weight bearing and resistance exercises are essential
for building and maintaining bone health.
Weight-bearing exercise, in which the bones and muscles work
against gravity increases bone density. Any exercise in
which the feet and legs are bearing body weight, such as
walking, jogging, stair climbing, dancing or lifting weights
will improve bone density. At the recent International
Osteoporosis Foundation’s World Congress on Osteoporosis in
Toronto, researchers at Wright State University School of
Medicine in Ohio, USA highlighted the importance of exercise
in children and adolescents for building peak bone mass that
will help protect against osteoporosis in later life. In
their study of how changes in physical activity affects the
bone mineral density of a group of 8 – 18 year olds, it was
found that more intense physical activity led to greater
increase in bone density, a measure of bone strength.
Resistance exercises that use muscle strength will improve
muscle mass and also strengthen bone. Activities such as
weight lifting, not only improve bone density; they also
improve the strength of the muscles attached to bone,
providing additional protection against fracture.
Exercise also helps by improving balance which helps lower
the risk of falls – the most common cause of an osteoporotic
fracture.
Your Bone Health in the Long Term:
The rationale for choosing a diet beneficial to you and your
children’s bone health in the long term is compelling.
Modern lifestyles and the food supply chain provide ever
greater opportunities for consumers to choose diets which
fit both with bone health objectives and daily interests,
responsibilities and time pressures. Understanding that
protecting bone health is a long term effort is the first
step to ensuring good bone health.
Adopting a balanced, varied diet rich in fruits, vegetables
and whole grains, as well as low fat diary products or
calcium-enriched soy products, with reduced levels of
saturated fats, promotes not only good bone health but is
also beneficial to your overall well being. Fish and other
animal-based proteins consumed in moderation are also
helpful in giving your body the essential vitamins and
minerals it needs to function properly.
Regular physical activity gives a further boost and is an
integral and essential component of a healthful lifestyle.
There is a wide enough range of physical activities to
choose from for everyone to find something that can be
incorporated into their daily routine. Being physically
active for at least 30 minutes a day can help not only to
promote bone health, it builds energy levels, reduces stress
and improves strength.
