By John Goh
Osteoporosis is a bone disease that develops slowly. Osteoporosis
causes your bones to become fragile and more likely to break. Here
is a summary of 6 preventive measures you can take to prevent osteoporosis.
1. Do regular weight-bearing exercise
Muscle pulling on bone builds bone, so weight-bearing exercise
builds denser, stronger bones. The exercises also improve your posture.
Exercising the back muscles helps the whole body become more upright.
The best exercises for building bone include weight-lifting,
jogging, hiking, stair-climbing, step aerobics, dancing, racquet
sports, and other activities that require your muscles to work against
gravity. Swimming and walking, although good for cardiovascular
fitness, are not the best exercises for building bone.
2. Go for a bone mineral density test
A Bone Mineral Density test (BMD) is the only way to diagnose
osteoporosis and determine your risk for future fracture. Since
osteoporosis can remain undetected for decades until a fracture
occurs, early diagnosis is important.
A BMD measures the density of your bones or your bone mass. The
test determines whether you need medication to help maintain your
bone mass, prevent further bone loss and reduce fracture risk.
3. Take enough calcium in your diet
Inadequate calcium intake is known to contribute to the development
of osteoporosis. Taking calcium from diary products is over-rated
though as our bodies were never designed to take in the milk of
cows.
Depending on your age, an appropriate calcium intake falls between
1000 and 1300 mg a day. Avoid phytic acid, oxalic acid and sodium
as they affect your body’s ability to absorb calcium.
4. Get enough Vitamin D
Vitamin D is needed for the body to absorb calcium from the foods
you eat. Vitamin D comes from two sources: through the skin following
direct exposure to sunlight and from the diet. An exposure of 10
to 15 minutes of sun for at least two times per week is usually
sufficient to provide adequate vitamin D. If you cannot get sunlight,
vitamin D can be derived from foods like salmon, mackerel, tuna
and egg yolk.
5. Take ample fruits and vegetables
Take five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily. A
recent study found that women who consumed 3.5 servings of fruits
and vegetables daily had greater bone density than those who did
not. Fruits and vegetables are good sources of magnesium and potassium,
two major nutrients that protect bones besides calcium and vitamin
D.
6. Change your cooking oil to coconut oil
Coconut oil has been used to treat people that have deficiency
in calcium. Coconut oil enhances the absorption and retention of
minerals like calcium and magnesium. The medium chain fatty acids
in coconut oil been used to treat children suffering from rickets,
which is a condition that involves demineralization and softening
of the bones.
The free radicals from oxidized vegetable oils interfere with
bone formation, promoting the development of osteoporosis. The saturated
fats in coconut oil act as anti-oxidants that protect the bones
from destructive free radicals. That is why one should avoid processed
vegetable oils and use coconut oil for cooking instead.