Maintaining strong healthy bones can be achieved through exercise, but did you know what you eat can also help?
Eating To Improve Bone Health – Bone health is an important aspect from children growing, to healing fractures, to preventing osteopenia and osteoporosis. During your whole life your bone is continually breaking down and repairing itself to stay healthy so it is important to fuel this process with the right nutrition to ensure good bone health!
Calcium – Calcium is the primary component of bone; due to this it is essential to ensure adequate calcium intake to maintain good bone health. Calcium is in dairy products (milk, yoghurt and cheeses) as well as green leafy vegetables, almonds, legumes and seafood. Dairy products are most promoted for calcium intake as they have a higher concentration of calcium as well as having almost twice the absorption rate compared to other sources. This means that you don’t have to eat as much to absorb the same amount of calcium.
Vitamin D – Vitamin D is important to bone health as it assists in the absorption of calcium. Vitamin D can come from two sources – from nutrition as well as through the skin from sun exposure. Nutritionally vitamin D is naturally found in fish such as salmon and tuna, and smaller amounts are also found in orange juice, milk and eggs. Vitamin D supplements may also help ensure adequate intake required for bone health, particularly in later life. Cancer Council Australia reports that for most people incidental exposure to the sun is enough to maintain vitamin D levels; a couple minutes of the day outside.
Zinc – Zinc is required for development and upkeep of healthy bone and may promote fracture healing. Zinc supplementation in addition to a good diet is advised to support bony healing.
Vitamin C – Vitamin C is another important element for bone health. Evidence shows it reduces the resorption (break down) of bone and some studies have even show it can prevent adverse complications following wrist fractures. Vitamin C intake is available through fruit and vegetables as well as supplementation; a minimum of 500mg was recommended for 50 days post wrist fracture to assist in prevention of systemic inflammatory response.
As always, a healthy balanced diet full of vegetables and appropriate proteins is the best way to get the vitamins needed and maintain a healthy body – bones and all!
PROHEALTH Phyiso is participating in Junk Free June! This means our team is committing to give up junk food for the month of June to support Cancer Council in their mission for a cancer free future.
If you would like to donate please go to: https://www.doitforcancer.com.au/fundraisers/vanessapiccione/ability-group-goes-junk-free-for-june- You can select a nominated amount OR enter as much you are able to contribute.
We also have a donation box in clinic!
Source: Cancer Council Australia. (2017). Vitamin D. Retrieved from: https://www.cancer.org.au/preventing-cancer/sun-protection/vitamin-d/ || Giganti, M. G., Tresoldi, I., Masuelli, L., Modesti, A., Grosso, G., Liuni, F. M., Celi, M., Rao, C., Gasbarra, E., Bei, R., & Tarantino, U. (2014). Fracture healing: from basic science to role of nutrition. Front Biosci (Landmark Ed), 19, 1162-1175 || Karpouzos, A., Diamantis, E., Farmaki, P., Savvanis, S., & Troupis, T. (2017) Nutritional Aspects of Bone Health and Fracture Healing. Journal of Osteoporosis, 2017 (4218472). doi: 10.1155/2017/4218472 || Yamaguchi, M. (2012). Nutritional factors and bone homeostasis: synergistic effect with zinc and genistein in osteogenesis. Molecular and cellular biochemistry, 366(1-2), 201-221. doi: 10.1007/s11010-012-1298-7 || Zollinger, P. E., Tuinebreijer, W. E., Breederveld, R. S., & Kreis, R. W. (2007). Can vitamin C prevent complex regional pain syndrome in patients with wrist fractures?: A randomized, controlled, multicenter dose-response study. JBJS, 89(7), 1424-1431.