vitamin d

Tertiary prevention of bone disease

In my last two blogs, I discussed primary and secondary prevention of bone disease. Can you guess what this week’s blog is going to be about….? DING DING DING!! You are right! Today, it’s about tertiary prevention of bone disease.

Tertiary prevention is treating the result of the disease that has occurred. So in the case of osteoporosis, when you have suffered from a bad fracture or broken bone. Tertiary prevention is all about preventing fractures.

Fractures from osteoporosis can be debilitating. However, there are also fractures from osteoporosis that seem ordinary (like a wrist fracture) or silent (like a vertebral fracture). Anyone over the age of 45 who has a fracture that occurred with little trauma – officially a “fall from a standing height” should be further evaluated for osteoporosis. Anyone who has lost more than 1½ inches of height could be having silent vertebral fractures and should be evaluated.

For people with debilitating fractures, proper rehabilitation is a must, and it will take work.

Once you have a fracture or broken bone, it is very important to avoid future fractures.

Six ways to do this:
1. Get a bone density test.
2. Do exercises that build strong bones.
3. Get your daily recommended allowance of calcium and vitamin D.
4. Learn new ways to lift objects to protect the bones in your spine. Avoid lifting heavy boxes and when you pick up objects, hinge at the hips and bend your knees.
5. Make your environment “fall-proof”. If you had a broken bone as a result of falling or tripping, remove throw rugs and other trip hazards and install night lights to prevent future falls.

The Deleterious Effects of Sugar Drinks

Approximately half of the American population consumes a sugar beverage every day, as revealed by a National Center for Health Statistics data brief .For the most part, the calories from these beverages are empty calories meaning that they pack a lot of calories for very little nutritional value. The average calories consumed through sugar beverages across all age groups is between 94 and 175; in terms of calories, this is equivalent to one or two glasses of skim milk. However, skim milk is quite nutrient-dense as it is a great source of calcium and protein as well as vitamin D and vitamin A if it is a fortified milk product. Replacing sugar drinks such as sodas with skim milk would be a very beneficial dietary modification most notably for bone health. Such a substitution would benefit bone health on two accounts. For one, calcium and vitamin D play big roles in the formation of healthy, strong bones. Secondly, the high level of phosphates in soft drinks combined with the low level of calcium actually acts to pull calcium from the bones leading to a weaker bone mineralization. To promote bone health, accompany your meals with a glass of skim milk instead of a soft drink!

A Tasty Alternative to Cow’s Milk

It occurred to me recently how many of my friends opt to use milk alternatives due to lactose intolerance or a general sensitivity to dairy products. Most of these people use almond milk or soymilk as their main alternatives. I’ve found myself to be a bit sensitive to both soymilk and cow’s milk, and while I do love almond milk, the cheese made from almond milk is difficult to find and not my favorite taste-wise.

There is another type of milk that is more closely related to cow’s milk than the almond and soy varieties, and has been used as the predominant form of milk in most parts of the world. This variety is goat’s milk. Goat’s milk is easier to digest than cow’s milk possibly because of the different fat molecules in goat’s milk that tend to remain in solution rather than cluster into globules as they do in cow’s milk. The protein molecules in goat’s milk seem to be more rapidly digested by enzymes as well. In addition, goat’s milk is more similar to human milk and, thus, a good alternative for mother’s feeding their babies.

In terms of nutrients, goat’s milk has a lot to offer. It has more calcium, phosphorus, potassium and protein than cow’s milk. It also offers significant amounts of B vitamins and tryptophan.

The goat’s milk product that I am most familiar with is goat cheese. Goat cheese is popular worldwide due to its flavor, texture and versatility. It can be eaten on a citrus salad, with nuts and fruit compote, or in risotto, just to name a few preparations.
A favorite recipe of mine incorporates grilled vegetables and creamy goat cheese in whole-wheat pita pockets; a nutritious, easy lunch or dinner that everyone will love! This recipe and endless other recipes that call for goat cheese can be found on the Whole Foods Market website or by clicking on this link

Calcium + Vitamin D!

The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Science recommends that children between the ages of 9 to 18 years old get at least 1,300 mg of calcium a day. Everyone needs calcium in their diet every day to build and maintain healthy strong bones. This is especially true for kids in their bone building years. Low calcium intake during childhood is associated with osteoporosis later in life. Osteoporosis is a disease of low bone mass, and thinning of bone tissues that can result in broken bones.

Although milk and foods made from milk are the most concentrated source of dietary calcium, children who don’t like drinking milk can get their calcium from other high-calcium rich foods. Many foods are supplemented with calcium, such as juices and cereals. Be sure to check the label for the amount of calcium and be sure to watch for levels of salt and sugar in processed foods. You don’t want to add too much of that in an attempt to get calcium!

Many dark leafy vegetables contain calcium. So do some nuts. Check out our list to get a sample of great sources for calcium. In addition to eating the right foods and getting enough calcium to prevent osteoporosis later on, children should also get enough vitamin D. Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption so is essential for bone growth. The easiest way to get vitamin D is through exposure to sunlight – but we don’t recommend trying to go that route. Find foods with vitamin D and consider adding a supplement – they’re pretty inexpensive.

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