“Youth is wasted on the young.” Ever heard that? Vancouver Spine Care Centre supposes that there’s
a little truth in that for all of us - and especially
our Vancouver spines - as we age. When we’re young, our
bodies need8 our attention more than we gave. Our young
bones and spines and bodies need good nutrition so
that our older bones and spine and bodies are healthy
when we desire living our lives less painfully and more
fully. Vancouver Spine Care Centre reveals what Vancouver
chiropractic patients can do now to address 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 drop
osteoporosis risk later in life. A recent study 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 affected 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 influenced
BMD. (1) Vancouver Spine Care Centre can’t emphasize enough just
how vital 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 tend to have an heightened chance
of having any kind of cancer and breast cancer. (2) Calcium intake during
the teen years of life is important to reduce the
risk of osteoporosis later in life. Teen girls absorb calcium more
effectively: 326mg in teenage girls versus just 73mg in older women of 1332 mg taken daily.
Even more concerning is that teen girls’ daily intake
of calcium is way lower than what it should be. Boosting
bone mass by only 5% drops the risk of fracture
by 40%. (3) Achieving healthy bones hinges on more than just calcium and vitamin D however.
Deficiencies of vitamins B, C, E, and K as well as retinol disrupt
the health of bone. (4) Vancouver Spine Care Centre shares
these findings to encourage us all to boost
intake of nutrients to build bone mass early and support it
later to keep it healthy.
IMPROVE ABSORPTION OF NUTRIENTS
Vancouver Spine Care Centre knows that kids and their
families want to be sure that their nutritional efforts will be of value. TIP: Dietary fiber may boost the body’s
absorption of calcium but does it differently 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 relate to 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? Vancouver Spine Care Centre supposes
that many of our Vancouver chiropractic patients would not
have!
FIBER’S DEFENSE OF MEN’S BMD
Luckily, there are some intensely
observant researchers and doctors around!
They discovered that fiber intake was a protective factor of
lumbar spine BMD in men aged 18 and 45 years old but not in females. 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 significantly increased
BMD. (6) An interesting side note: A new study
discredits the thought that BMD may be a risk factor
for lumbar disc herniation in youth, but a new study discredited that
thought. (7) However, medical literature points out that the general
value of nutrition - and now fiber intake in men - on the well-being
of the body, its bones and its spine.
CONTACT Vancouver Spine Care Centre
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 Vancouver chiropractic
appointment with Vancouver Spine Care Centre where your spine, body and its bones are well known
in their current age whether they were treated well in their youth or not!