Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, But Osteoporosis Should Not

Osteoporosis: The Silent Killer

It’s World Osteoporosis Day! You might have heard of the term, most likely in those “milk for old women” commercials. But don’t be fooled! While the bone disease is more common in the elderly, it could happen to anyone – male and female, in their 20s, 30s, and even children. In 2020, there was an estimate of 200 million people suffering from osteoporosis worldwide. World Osteoporosis Day aims to raise awareness on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and bone health for everybody.

Osteoporosis itself is characterized by deterioration of bone tissue and a decline in bone mass, making the bones fragile and prone to injuries. Interestingly, the condition has no symptoms – which makes it a “silent killer” as it goes unnoticeable by the patient until they get a bone fracture.

A disease as complex as osteoporosis has multiple factors affecting it, including environmental and genetic factors. Environmental factors may include physical activity, nutrition, and smoking – whereas genetic factors may include the effect of various genes on the bone metabolism. Moreover, both the environmental and genetic factors can interact with each other, in which a person’s nutritional intake may impact the bone characteristics.

How do we know if we have osteoporosis?

Diagnosis of osteoporosis is usually done through screening tests, which is highly recommended especially for women above age 65 and men above age 70. It is crucial to let the doctor know about factors such as:

• Previous bone-related injuries (fractures, sprains, etc)
• Daily routine (exercise, diet, smoking history, alcohol consumption, etc)
• Family history of osteoporosis or other bone-related diseases
• Menstrual history (for women)

Factors like height/weight loss, posture changes, balance, and muscle strength can be considered as part of the physical exam.

By reminding ourselves that osteoporosis is the “silent killer”, it highly recommended to make changes in our lifestyle, starting from their exercise. Daily exercise allows improvement of our health whilst lowering the risk of getting bone fractures by avoiding poor muscle strength, posture and balance. 150 minutes of weekly exercise combined with cardio and strength training will yield most advantages, including reduced bone loss, increased mobility, better mood and vitality, and more. It is also advisable to look after our dietary intake, which will be explained more in the section below.

Taking care of your diet: the easiest way to prevent osteoporosis

Osteoporosis might be a condition you wouldn’t want to have in your olden days, so there are preventive actions to always keep you active and moving even if you have reached your seventies. One of them is to look after your dietary intake. Here are some nutrients that might lessen your risk of osteoporosis.

1. Protein makes up about 50% of the bone’s structure. Consuming protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, soy products and nuts highly help your body take in calcium and build strong, healthy bones.
2. Calcium is undoubtedly one of the most essential minerals for the body, especially when it comes to bones. With bones as the main storage site for calcium and the mineral only being obtainable through the foods that we eat, it is our own responsibility to take care of our body’s calcium intake. Examples of calcium-rich foods include milk, cheese and yoghurt.
3. Vitamin D is another nutrient contributing to calcium intake. It helps the blood bring up the precious mineral to our bones and helps with bone metabolism. Naturally, vitamin D is found in a few foods like fatty fish and egg yolks. However, manufacturers have found a way to fortify regular foods such as milk, yogurt, and even orange juice with the vitamin. A recommended activity to work on your vitamin D uptake is to bask in the morning sunlight for about 15 minutes.
4. Vitamin K modulates bone metabolism by increasing the bone mineral density (BMD) which is an important marker in osteoporosis, leading to a decrease in fracture rates. Vitamin K can be sourced from foods like green, leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, broccoli)
5. Vitamin C helps with the body’s production of collagen, which is an essential building block for the bones. In fact, collagen makes up for 90% of the bone’s composition. Without an abundance of this protein, bones become brittle. As you might have known, vitamin C can be found in fresh fruits and vegetables like oranges, berries, tomatoes, etc.
6. Vitamin A is necessary for cells to develop normally and for normal skeletal growth. Consuming foods such as meat, fish, liver greatly helps with vitamin A intake. However, it should be kept in moderation as an excess of vitamin A has been linked to bone loss
7. Zinc plays an important role in stimulating the osteoblasts (the cells responsible for bone formation and mineralization), which is an important process in bone metabolism and regeneration. Oysters, avocadoes, beans, whole grains are some zinc-rich foods.
8. Magnesium influences the activities of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, both are cells that are responsible in bone metabolism – in which osteoblasts build the bone and osteoclasts “eat” away the bone to reshape and maintain its strength. Nuts, legumes, whole grains, and seeds are recommended for an increase in magnesium intake.

Conclusion

As we slowly enter the modern era of personalized healthcare, it would give advantages for us to be able to know what our body needs. In honor of World Osteoporosis Day, it’s a good starting point to start looking after your dietary intake and obtain more information about your real nutritional requirements, including the ones crucial for bone health. In Nalagenetics, we provide NutriReady™, our nutrigenetics test. With NutriReady™, you can unveil information related to your micro/macronutrient, food intolerances and metabolism based on your genetic makeup. Starting your personalized diet journey with Nalagenetics can help healthcare professionals adjust your dietary intake and implement precision nutrition into their practice.

If you are interested in learning more about NutriReady™, check out the details here! To start your personalized diet journey, please don’t hesitate to contact us at admin@nalagenetics.com!