“Youth is wasted on the young.” Ever heard that? Chiropractic Care supposes that there’s
a little truth in that for all of us - and especially
our West Palm Beach spines - as we age. When we are young, our
bodies need8 our attention more than we gave. Our youthful
bones and spines and bodies need proper nutrition so
that our older bones and spine and bodies are fit
when we desire living our lives less painfully and more
fully. Chiropractic Care reveals what West Palm Beach
chiropractic patients can do now to deal with bone mineral
density (BMD) issues, regardless of their current age.
BMD AND OSTEOPOROSIS: BUILD BMD WHILE YOUNG
Optimizing peak bone mass early in life may drop
osteoporosis risk later in life. A new report stated
that Vitamin D and calcium in females positively affected bone mineral density
into young adulthood. Intakes of phosphorous and the calcium:phosphorous ratio
at adolescence for females negatively influenced BMD in young
adulthood. Calcium intake in adolescent males strongly negatively affected
BMD in the lumbar spine at young adulthood. Other influential
factors were body weight at adolescence and young adulthood which positively affected
BMD. (1) Chiropractic Care can’t stress enough just
how vital nutrition is for their future well-being.
BENEFITS OF IMPROVED NUTRITION BEYOND BETTER BONE MINERAL
DENSITY
Osteoporosis is a disease of older folks that results
from youthful (in)attention. Low serum levels of vitamin D in osteoporotic
women have a tendency to have an heightened chance
of having any kind of cancer and breast cancer. (2) Calcium intake during
the teen years of life is vital to reduce the
risk of osteoporosis later in life. Teen girls absorb calcium more
effectively: 326mg in teenage girls versus just 73mg in older women of 1332 mg taken a day.
Even more problematic is that teen girls’ daily consumption
of calcium is way below what it should be. Boosting
bone mass by only 5% reduces the risk of fracture
by 40%. (3) Getting healthy bones hinges on more than just calcium and vitamin D however.
Deficiencies of vitamins B, C, E, and K as well as retinol disrupt
the health of bone. (4) Chiropractic Care shares
these statistics to encourage us all to increase
intake of nutrients to build bone mass initially and support it
later to keep it healthy.
IMPROVE ABSORPTION OF NUTRIENTS
Chiropractic Care knows that kids and their
families want to be sure that their nutritional efforts will pay
off. TIP: Dietary fiber may raise the body’s
absorption of calcium but does it differently for older
men and women. Higher intake of dietary fiber and fruit fiber was
protective against bone loss in men but not women. Fiber from vegetables was
protective against spine bone loss in women but not men. Cereal fiber or nut
and legume fiber improvements didn’t relate to bone loss in either men or women. Higher dietary fiber may decrease
bone loss in men. (5) Who would have thought that fiber would
have anything to do with bone mineral density? Chiropractic Care supposes
that many of our West Palm Beach chiropractic patients wouldn’t
have!
FIBER’S DEFENSE OF MEN’S BMD
Fortunately, there are some intensely
perceptive researchers and doctors out there!
They discovered that fiber intake was a protective factor of
lumbar spine BMD in men aged 18 and 45 years of
age but not in females. In men over 65 years, nutrient
intake indicated no effect on BMD. In women between 18 and 45,
fiber did not show a significant effect
on BMDs, but daily fat intake did significantly. (6) A curious side note: It had been thought that bone
mineral density may be a risk factor for lumbar disc herniation in
young persons, but a recent study discredited that
thought. (7) However, there is
evidence in the medical literature that emphasizes the overall
benefit of nutrition - and now fiber intake in men - on the well-being
of the body, its bones and its spine.
CONTACT Chiropractic Care
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Nike Taylor on The Back
Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she helps a patients with
chronic low back pain with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your next West Palm Beach chiropractic
appointment with Chiropractic Care where your spine, body and its bones are well understood
in their current age whether they were treated well in their youth or not!