Calcium-rich foods build bones for a strong old age
Jan 31, 2006
IT can happen without warning. You bend to pick up a coin and a searing pain jabs your side. You later learn you have fractured a rib.
By Fred Ouma
IT can happen without warning. You bend to pick up a coin and a searing pain jabs your side. You later learn you have fractured a rib.
Is this something to look forward to - a life marred by pain and deformity?
“Not necessarily,†says Dr. Abdul Shirazi, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon. “If you take the time now to care for your bones, it is an investment that pays off in an active lifestyle for many better years ahead.â€
Calcium and bones
Shirazi, who works at Ultima Trauma and Orthopaedic Centre on Lumumba Avenue, Kampala, says bones are living tissues that are continually rebuilt. When we are born, they are soft. They harden when calcium, proteins and phosphorus are deposited in them. Shirazi says that bones account for 99% of the calcium in our bodies.
Strong bones are like a concrete foundation that guarantees a strong house. They provide the framework for your body and protect vital organs. The amount of calcium you need to stay healthy changes over your lifetime. It is greatest during childhood and adolescence, when your skeleton is growing rapidly and during pregnancy and breast-feeding. In mid-30s, however, bones reach a peak bone mass (highest levels of calcium). Beyond this age, bones start losing slightly more calcium than you gain. Failure to get enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet can accelerate the process.
The body starts to borrow calcium from the bones. This reduces the bone mass and a honeycomb structure with lots of tiny holes inside your bones is formed. This leaves the hard outer shell thinner and you may cross the ‘fracture threshold’ or osteoporosis. Bones become porous and fractures may result from very minor stresses like bending over or even sneezing.
Shirazi says older people may get a hip or wrist stoop due to the bones in the spine squashing or suffering a variety of bone fractures.
Osteoporosis can also accompany endocrine disorders or result from excessive use of drugs like corticosteroids. Although osteoporosis is common in women during menopause when oestrogen levels (a female hormone), have dropped, it also affects men. Oestrogen helps to reduce the rapid loss of calcium in bones.
It is estimated that more than one in three women in Uganda over 60 years suffer a broken bone due to osteoporosis.
Calcium supply
The body cannot make its own calcium. It relies on the food we eat. Maintaining an active healthy lifestyle ensures healthy bones.
According to Shirazi, the strength of your bones depends on their mass and density got from calcium and other minerals. But most adults do not drink as much milk as they did when they were young.
“It is an invaluable source of calcium for all age groups. Milk products like cheese, yoghurt and ice cream contain vital nutrients, which adults should crave for healthy bones,†says Shirazi.
Though calcium may not be well absorbed from the vegetables due to presence of fibres, they are also rich sources. Other foods include small or tinned fish eaten with the bones, eggs, liver and orange juice.
Supplements are as effective as calcium from food if taken properly. However, calcium supplements can be constipating. If this occurs, drink more water and try a fibre supplement. Additionally, check the type of calcium you are using.
Calcium phosphate and calcium citrate tend to be less constipating. Calcium and vitamin D supplements are most effective when taken in divided doses with food. Look for calcium and vitamin D supplements combined in a single tablet.
Bones and age
Postmenopausal women and older men need more calcium. With age, the body becomes less efficient at absorbing calcium. Older adults are also more likely to have chronic health problems or to take medications that interfere with calcium absorption.
Doctors can detect early signs of osteoporosis using a variety of devices to measure bone density. Shirazi says that early detection is important in osteoporosis. You may be able to slow the disease or prevent it.
“Everyone should consider risk factors and have a bone density test to ascertain the risks. For women, the test is essential before menopause,†he says.
Ends
IT can happen without warning. You bend to pick up a coin and a searing pain jabs your side. You later learn you have fractured a rib.
Is this something to look forward to - a life marred by pain and deformity?
“Not necessarily,†says Dr. Abdul Shirazi, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon. “If you take the time now to care for your bones, it is an investment that pays off in an active lifestyle for many better years ahead.â€
Calcium and bones
Shirazi, who works at Ultima Trauma and Orthopaedic Centre on Lumumba Avenue, Kampala, says bones are living tissues that are continually rebuilt. When we are born, they are soft. They harden when calcium, proteins and phosphorus are deposited in them. Shirazi says that bones account for 99% of the calcium in our bodies.
Strong bones are like a concrete foundation that guarantees a strong house. They provide the framework for your body and protect vital organs. The amount of calcium you need to stay healthy changes over your lifetime. It is greatest during childhood and adolescence, when your skeleton is growing rapidly and during pregnancy and breast-feeding. In mid-30s, however, bones reach a peak bone mass (highest levels of calcium). Beyond this age, bones start losing slightly more calcium than you gain. Failure to get enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet can accelerate the process.
The body starts to borrow calcium from the bones. This reduces the bone mass and a honeycomb structure with lots of tiny holes inside your bones is formed. This leaves the hard outer shell thinner and you may cross the ‘fracture threshold’ or osteoporosis. Bones become porous and fractures may result from very minor stresses like bending over or even sneezing.
Shirazi says older people may get a hip or wrist stoop due to the bones in the spine squashing or suffering a variety of bone fractures.
Osteoporosis can also accompany endocrine disorders or result from excessive use of drugs like corticosteroids. Although osteoporosis is common in women during menopause when oestrogen levels (a female hormone), have dropped, it also affects men. Oestrogen helps to reduce the rapid loss of calcium in bones.
It is estimated that more than one in three women in Uganda over 60 years suffer a broken bone due to osteoporosis.
Calcium supply
The body cannot make its own calcium. It relies on the food we eat. Maintaining an active healthy lifestyle ensures healthy bones.
According to Shirazi, the strength of your bones depends on their mass and density got from calcium and other minerals. But most adults do not drink as much milk as they did when they were young.
“It is an invaluable source of calcium for all age groups. Milk products like cheese, yoghurt and ice cream contain vital nutrients, which adults should crave for healthy bones,†says Shirazi.
Though calcium may not be well absorbed from the vegetables due to presence of fibres, they are also rich sources. Other foods include small or tinned fish eaten with the bones, eggs, liver and orange juice.
Supplements are as effective as calcium from food if taken properly. However, calcium supplements can be constipating. If this occurs, drink more water and try a fibre supplement. Additionally, check the type of calcium you are using.
Calcium phosphate and calcium citrate tend to be less constipating. Calcium and vitamin D supplements are most effective when taken in divided doses with food. Look for calcium and vitamin D supplements combined in a single tablet.
Bones and age
Postmenopausal women and older men need more calcium. With age, the body becomes less efficient at absorbing calcium. Older adults are also more likely to have chronic health problems or to take medications that interfere with calcium absorption.
Doctors can detect early signs of osteoporosis using a variety of devices to measure bone density. Shirazi says that early detection is important in osteoporosis. You may be able to slow the disease or prevent it.
“Everyone should consider risk factors and have a bone density test to ascertain the risks. For women, the test is essential before menopause,†he says.
Ends