August 15, 2010

Tips To Increase Bone Health

Everyone’s so obsessed with how much fat to remove or muscle to build, that the silent partner – our bones – is all but forgotten.

You can’t see thinning bones and you often won’t know there’s a problem until your bone scan comes back abnormal or you experience a fracture.

Did you know that over 34 million Americans have low bone mass and another 10 million already have osteoporosis?

The 2004 Surgeon General’s report noted that 1 out of every 2 women over the age of 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture. Ouch! 80% of folks with osteoporosis are women, and the people at highest risk are Caucasians and Asians. Women have smaller less dense bones than men and that’s why we are at greater risk.

Lifestyle counts as well. Being over the age of 50, smoking, drinking excessive quantities of alcohol, lacking weight bearing and strength training exercise, and consuming a calcium-deficient diet are all risk factors for osteopenia (bone thinning) and osteoporosis (serious bone loss). You can start the process of bone loss as early as your teenage years if you’re not getting the calcium you need, rarely do weight bearing exercise and engage in poor lifestyle choices.

How about we promote great bone health right now? Whether you’re fine or already have osteopenia or osteoporosis, you need to integrate these simple steps into your lifestyle today.

1. Eat a bone-healthy diet. Healthy bones are all about making certain you get enough calcium in your diet. Did you know that 99% of calcium is stored in your bones? The rest you’ll find in soft tissues and blood. Dairy and soy are calcium rich as well as nuts, fish (sardines), fruits (oranges) and leafy greens such as kale and broccoli.
2. Take your calcium supplement. Most women after the age of 40 need to supplement their diet with calcium. Calcium supplements come in various forms (carbonate, phosphate, citrate).
3. Mind your bone-healthy nutrients. I recommend everyone take a gender and age specific multivitamin. Make sure it’s got the following bone-supporting nutrients and their RDA’s: folate 400mg; manganese 2.3 mg for men and 1.8 mg for women; magnesium 420 mg for men and 320 mg for women; phosphorus 700 mg; Vit C 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women; and zinc 11 mg for men and 8 mg for women.
4. Red alert on Vitamin D. Physicians have recently observed that more of their patients as Vitamin D deficient. I highly recommend that you ask your doctor to check your Vitamin D level. Vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol is essential for the absorption of calcium and bone remodeling. Fifteen minutes in the sun can help boost Vit D levels in the body, but it’s usually not enough. Top that with the fact that we’re now slathering on sunblock and our Vitamin D levels are plummeting. Our diets are often Vitamin D deficient. (Who’s eating liver, egg yolks and butter?) We are getting some Vitamin D from fortified cereals, tuna, salmon and mackerel. The current RDA is in the process of being reassessed. Most physicians are recommending a daily intake of 2000 IU. Make sure to supplement your diet with Vitamin D after you’ve been assessed by your medical team.
5. Exercise your bones. Your bones are optimally stimulated to lay down a stronger inner cortex when you are engaged in weight bearing exercise. That means walking, running and water aerobics. Strength training is absolutely imperative to maintain optimal bone strength throughout life. There are plenty of simple exercises you can do gym-free.
6. Stop smoking and drink in moderation. Alcohol reduces the ability of the body to convert Vitamin D to its active form, resulting in decreased calcium absorption. As well, alcohol also increases magnesium excretion, further reducing calcium absorption. Finally, alcohol interferes with the production of estrogen and testosterone, hormones that are integral to bone health. Alarms go off for smokers as well. Smokers are often thinner, sedentary, tend to drink more alcohol and tend not to consume bone healthy diets.
7. Get scanned. If you’re 40 years old, have an initial conversation with your doctor about your personal and family risk factors for osteoporosis. Based upon this dialogue, your physician may recommend a DEXA bone scan to monitor the status of their bones over time.
8. Mind your medications. Osteoporosis has a multitude of causes ranging from poor diet to medical conditions that lead to bone thinning. Based upon the cause, there are a host of medical options from the traditional biphosphonates (e.g. Fosamax and Boniva), to selective estrogen receptor modulators (e.g. Evista), and then to a brand new category of “biologics” such as Amgen’s Prolia which is set to launch in 2011. Make certain that you have a comprehensive assessment and discussion with your physician to help you choose the most appropriate medical therapy.

Check out our new osteoporosis FAQ page. If you’re right for a bone density test, call your nearest NECC clinic to schedule an appointment. Do it today!

Be well,

-Christopher Lau, MD
NECC Executive Director/CEO

Or you can send a check to:
Development Dept.
Northeast Community Clinics
2550 W. Main St.
Alhambra, CA 91801

Our Month In Photos

Channel 34 TV-News Reporter Cecilia Bogran (in black with microphone) takes a moment out of filming on the morning news to pose with California Family Care staff . Seated is Lupe Rosales, Clinic Manager. Cecilia and her crew filmed live remotes at the clinic on retinopathy for Channel 34's morning news show. More than 93 new patients arrived between 5 and 8 a.m. for free retinopathy.

Channel 34 TV-News Reporter Cecilia Bogran (left) interviews Lupe Rosales, Clinic Manager of NECC's downtown clinic, California Family Care, for a series of live remotes Cecilia was did on retinopathy recently. CFC offered free retinopathy for diabetic patients between 5 and 8 a.m.

Josh Minnick of Vitamin ID delivers a major donation of women's vitamins to Lupe Rosales, (left), California Family Care Clinic Manager, and Angie Armada-Dela Cruz, NECC Director of Operations. Vitamin ID is headquartered in Northridge, CA, and manufactures and distributes a variety of vitamins and vitamin packs under the name Nature Made.

Take a look at our full set of photos on our NECC Flickr page.