Eat to Build Bone and Prevent Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis. It’s everywhere: in the media, in the research journals, in friends, in us and our loved ones in Toronto.

So why all of this attention on osteoporosis? It’s a global issue. (1) Osteoporosis isn’t discriminatory. It affects people around the globe. It affects men. It affects women. Osteoporosis’s effects become apparent when we get older, but its prevention strategy must include thought when we are young. So it’s up to us older and wiser folks (doctors, parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches) to encourage our youth to get enough calcium and build their bone mass density so that they can afford to lose some of it to aging.

Osteoporosis hurts us especially as we grow older. We and our fellow Toronto neighbors are at higher risk of fractures and falls. If those alone don’t concern you about your own osteoporosis or a loved one’s, the statistics about death after such a fracture might. One osteoporosis researcher wrote that more women die after osteoporosis fractures than die due to breast and ovarian cancer combined. (2) Men, you aren’t exempt. Men gradually lose bone as they age which results in their having fragile bones. Aging men lose bone mineral density (BMD) at a rate of 1% per year. (3) Worse yet, one in 5 men will experience an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime. (4) The prognosis for them after a hip fracture is very bleak. (5)

Poor diet contributes to the risk of osteoporosis. So a better diet may reduce that risk. That makes sense! A twin study in Korea reports that a dietary pattern with high intake of dairy products, fruits and whole grains may positively contribute to bone health. Such a dietary pattern-based strategy could potentially promote bone health. (1) For our Toronto osteoporosis and osteoporosis at risk patients (nearly everyone!), Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre encourages an awareness of diet and supplementation if necessary.

Bone health requires a balance of vitamins and minerals. So feed your bones! Calcium (6) (the right source like calcium citrate), vitamin D, and magnesium are a few of the important ones. Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre would be happy to look at your diet. Make a food diary, and share it at your next Toronto chiropractic appointment. Together, we can make a plan to prevent osteoporosis and its long-term effects on your bone and your risk for fracture.

Contact Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre today. Widen the focus of your next Toronto chiropractic appointment to include a discussion of your osteoporosis risk and prevention.