Preventing osteoporosis

By Barb Jarmoska

What is most tragic about osteoporosis is the fact that, for the most part, it is a preventable disease. Although osteoporosis can be a side effect of some prescription medications and physical disabilities, for most women bone density is linked to diet, supplement and lifestyle choices.

When it comes to keeping bones strong, weight-bearing exercise is at the very top of the list of “things to do.” Weight-bearing exercise stresses bones, causing them to bend slightly and release an electrical charge (know as pezio electricity). This charge impacts the mineral ions that are responsible for building new bone mass. The best form of weight-bearing exercise comes by bearing more than you weigh. This means lifting weights. The best way to develop a strength-training (weight lifting) program is with the help of a personal trainer. This will greatly decrease your risk of injury and assure that all major muscle groups/bones are targeted. Keep in mind that swimming and bicycle riding, although great cardiovascular exercise, do not build bone mass.

Diet is another critical component in the bone density equation. If drinking milk is so necessary for strong bones, ponder this fact: The per capita consumption of dairy foods is higher in the US than in any other nation on the planet. The rate of osteoporosis is higher in the US than in any other nation on the planet. What’s wrong with this picture?

The answer to that question is two-fold. First of all, although dairy products are high in a form of calcium known as calcium lactate, milk (and foods made from it) is not necessarily the best dietary source of calcium. This is due both to milk’s imbalance of other bone-building minerals, and the difficulty that many people (especially the women who most need the extra calcium) have in ionizing the calcium it contains. Calcium must first be ionized in the intestines in order to be picked up by the blood stream and delivered to the bones.

It is interesting to note that we are the only mammals on the planet that continue to consume milk after weaning. We are also the only mammals who drink the milk of another species. Our bodies were designed by God to need one kind of milk—mother’s milk. That need lasts only for a couple years, and we can then get all the nutrients we need from non-dairy sources. Raw, unpasteurized cow’s milk is a perfect food...for baby cows. Pasteurized, homogenized milk is a perfect food for no one, not even a baby cow.

By far the best source of calcium is dark, leafy, green vegetables. This is the same source used by cows, horses and even elephants to keep their bones strong and dense! When it comes to dietary calcium sources, it should be your first choice as well. Kale, collards, dandelion greens, broccoli, swiss chard, beet tops, rabe, escarole and endive all provide abundant fat-free, low-protein calcium balanced with all the other minerals needed to build strong bones.

The second part of the two-fold answer is perhaps the most significant. Low bone mass is rampant among women in America because the typical American diet is extremely high in acid-forming foods. When someone eats an excess of meat and/or wheat-containing products (such as bread, pasta, baked goods, etc.), they can easily create an acid condition in the body. Since blood and lymphatic pH is essential to life and health, the calcium in the bones must be re-deposited into the blood stream to alkalize the pH. The single most acid-forming food is white sugar. Consumption of sugar in this country is in excess of 165 pounds per person per year! (And someone’s getting double or triple that amount since I don’t eat any, and you may not either). The acid/alkaline balance (also known as yin/yang in macrobiotic traditions) is a fascinating science, and one it pays to investigate.

To prevent bone loss because of acid imbalance, your consumption of alkaline-forming foods should exceed those that are acid forming. Generally speaking, fruits and vegetables are alkaline-forming, and protein and grains are acid forming. Asparagus, millet, soy and quinoa are exceptions. Charts listing the acid/alkaline foods are available free of charge at Freshlife. To check your pH balance, test strips for urine and saliva are also available at Freshlife. Another way to check your ratio is to keep a diet diary. Write down everything you eat for a week, and note “Acid” or “Alkaline” beside the food. At the end of the week, simply check your percentages. Ideally, your diet should be 60 to 70-percent alkaline forming foods.

When it comes to preventing this all-too-common and potentially debilitating disease, here are some important things to avoid:

* Carbonated beverages. Pepsi, Coke, Ginger Ale, 7 Up, and, yes, even those sparkling mineral waters you may be fond of, are never a healthy choice for bone density. They contain excess phosphorus and have an acidic impact on the body. In order to keep blood and tissue minerals in balance, when carbonated beverages are consumed, calcium is donated from the bones. To compound the problem, high phosphorus levels decrease the absorption of calcium.

*Caffeine. In a study done on 205 post menopausal women, caffeine consumption at a level of three cups of coffee or more daily was associated with bone loss in women who took less than 800 mgs daily in supplement form. The best remedy for this is to limit your caffeine intake. If you choose otherwise, 1500 mgs of supplemental calcium daily is advised.

*Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Prednisone and its pharmaceutical cousins reduce the body’s ability to activate vitamin D, and thereby enhance the risk of bone loss. If you are using Prednisone (or any steroid) for longer than 2 weeks, be sure to ask your doctor to test you for activated vitamin D deficiency, and address any lack with adequate supplements. Vitamin D deficiency causes osteoporosis.

*Prescription thyroid medications. Calcium may interfere with the absorption of synthroid and other thyroid medications. Because of this, separate your thyroid medication and calcium supplement by at least two hours.

*Anti-hypertensives. These are drugs used to treat high blood pressure. They include the beta-blockers such as Atenolol, Tenormin, Lopressor, Levatol, Inderal and others. This category also includes the calcium channel blockers such as Lotrel, Vascor, Cardizem, Procardia, etc. It is possible that the beta-blockers form an unabsorbable complex with calcium in the intestine. This could lead to a reduction in the effectiveness of the drug. If using a beta-blocker, take your calcium at a different time of day. Because calcium channel blockers work by blocking calcium, you should consult with your doctor before taking high levels of supplemental calcium and vitamin D. If you are at high risk for osteoporosis, calcium channel blockers are not the best choice in anti-hypertensive drugs. Talk to your doctor about other options.

*Anemia. Because they compete for the same receptor sites, calcium has the potential to reduce absorption of iron. If you need an iron supplement because of low red blood cell count, separate it by two hours from your calcium supplement. (Vitamin C enhances iron absorption, and should always be used in conjunction with iron.)

*Antacids. Unfortunately, calcium diminishes stomach pH, which is why it is the active ingredient in antacids like Tums. About half of all women over 50 are only able to absorb 4 percent of the calcium found in products like Tums. If your doctor has recommended you take Tums to get your daily calcium requirements, you have received unsound advice. Please also keep in mind that antacids often contain high levels of aluminum. This toxic metal can accumulate in the body through long-term antacid use. In addition to other serious health consequences, high aluminum levels can deplete calcium.