Osteoporosis And Nutrition

Osteoporosis is a systemic disorder that arises with a hardness of the bones in our body reducing and becoming weaker and fragile due to their decreasing quality and that affects all of our skeletons. This disorder has become one of the most frequently seen disorders in the present day with the extending life expectancy and increasing elderly population. The researches being conducted show that 1 out of 3 women and 1 out of 5 men over the age of 50 will experience a fracture in one period of their lives.

WHEN DOES THE OSTEOPOROSIS START?

The bones are living tissues that are continuously renewing with the generation and repair activities. While this generation and destruction process continues in a balanced way until the age of 30 in women, the balance starts changing starting from this age in the advantage of destruction. An irreversible bone loss in the rate of 0.5 percent annually starts in the women after the age of 30 when the peak bone mass is formed. This loss fastens especially after menopause more and more and the lost bone tissue amount constitutes one of the most important factors that determine whether the woman will experience a bone fracture in the future.

OWHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF OSTEOPOROSIS?

The most important symptom of the osteoporosis is the fractures. What is colloquially known wrong about osteoporosis is that it may cause pain. The pain related to osteoporosis is experienced pretty rarely unless there is a fracture. As a result of the fracture in the spine, the height shortens, position disorder and spinal curvature (hump) are seen. The bones make pressure on the abdominal cavity and the chest as a result of the spinal curvature. The organs in this area are negatively affected and the body image of the patient deteriorates. And this causes problems to arise and the osteoporosis patient to stay away from society.

NUTRITION SUGGESTIONS

* Calcium needs to be increased for the persistence of the bone mineralization. 1200 mg of calcium on average per day must be taken. The foods rich in calcium are milk and milk products, green leafy vegetables, flaxseed, and almond.
* Phosphor and calcium are the minerals in a close relationship. Excessive intake of phosphor causes the calcium in the bones to decrease and insufficient intake also brings many problems along. Therefore, phosphor must be sufficiently consumed in the diet. Phosphor sources are meat, milk, yogurt, cheese, pasta, noodle.
* Insufficient zinc consumption may increase the bone thinning (osteoporosis) risk. Therefore, consuming the foods rich in zinc is quite important for the nutrition treatment of the disorder
* The person should stay away from the foods that might decrease the calcium absorption. These are foods like tea, coffee, cacao. Especially caffeine affects the usability of calcium seriously.
* Excessive salt consumption may cause calcium disposal from the bones. Therefore, salt must certainly be limited in the nutrition treatment of osteoporosis.
* Vitamin D makes calcium absorption easier and helps with healthy persistence of the mineralization of the bone. The patients with osteoporosis need to take a sufficient amount of vitamin D and abundantly benefit from the sunlight.
* Protein must be consumed in a balanced way in osteoporosis. Excessive protein intake may fasten calcium disposal and negatively affect the course of the disorder. Likewise, insufficient protein consumption would negatively affect the muscle and skeleton system.
* Increase in alcohol and smoking may cause bone thinning in the long term. Therefore, you need to avoid these bad habits during the treatment.
* Overweight increases both risk of osteoporosis and risk of injuries by falling down in the people with bone thinning. Thus, it is absolutely necessary to apply to a dietician for a healthy diet program.