Buy Resveratrol Supplements

Bone Health

With the growth rate of the population of adults over 60 years greatly exceeding that of the country as a whole, it seems that more and more people are enjoying the prime of their lives in the United States. In fact, the US Census Bureau estimates that about 1 in 5 would be elderly by the year 2030. But to enjoy the gift of long life, good bones are every bit as crucial as a good pension.

One of the biggest health concerns that come with aging is the onset of the bone disease called osteoporosis, or the thinning of bone tissue that leads to an increased risk of chronic pains and fractures. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), osteoporosis is considered as “a major public health threat for an estimated 44 million Americans.” At present, approximately 10 million individuals in the United States already suffer from the disease.

It is never too soon to think about your bone health. After all, it is your body’s main support system. Weak bones can develop at any age and can be caused by many different factors, including family genes, drugs such as steroids or disease. If you neglect your internal scaffolding, you risk enduring stooped twilight years, a possibility of fractured limbs and, ultimately, a loss of independence. NOF cites that one way to help fight this bone disease is simply by getting the “daily recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D.” These nutrients are known to help maximize bone mass and prevent bone thinning.

But while it is common belief that drinking cow’s milk, which is a good source of calcium, will build strong bones and teeth, a recent study done by the University of California in San Francisco has shown that Americans have one of the highest rates of hip fractures in the world, despite the fact that they consume more dairy products than most populations worldwide. This seems to suggest that there is a relation between the consumption of animal proteins and the incidence of hip fractures, the latter of which is often used as a reliable indicator of osteoporosis.

According to the study, “[h]ip fracture, a major health problem in elderly persons, varies in incidence among the populations of different countries and is directly related to animal protein intake, a finding that suggests that bone integrity is compromised by endogenous acid production consequent to the metabolism of animal proteins.” Another study, done by the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut suggested that “a high animal protein diet might lead to chronic bone buffering and bone dissolution” and that “the animal protein-hip fracture association could have a biologically tenable basis.”

Scientists theorize that this is because animal proteins increase the acid load in the body, making our blood and tissues more acidic. The body neutralizes this acidic environment with calcium that ends up being taken from the bones, thus weakening them and putting them at risk of fractures.

Experts advise that better sources of calcium are vegetable proteins. Whole plant foods like leafy vegetables and beans are rich in calcium. Taking dietary supplements of bone-building nutrients is likewise helpful. In fact, a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine cited that “[i]n men and women 65 years of age or older who are living in the community, dietary supplementation with calcium and vitamin D moderately reduced bone loss measured in the femoral neck, spine, and total body over the three-year study period and reduced the incidence of nonvertebral fractures.”

With all these advances in scientific research, we no longer have to be crippled by the aging process and robbed of enjoying the prime of our lives.