“Youth is wasted on the young.” Have you heard that
saying? Capitol Spine & Rehabilitation supposes that there is
a bit of truth in that for all of us - and particularly
our Baton Rouge spines - as we age. When we are young, our
bodies require 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. Capitol Spine & Rehabilitation shares what Baton Rouge
chiropractic patients can do now to address bone mineral
density (BMD) issues, no matter their current age.
BMD AND OSTEOPOROSIS: BUILD BMD WHILE YOUNG
Elevating peak bone mass early in life may decrease
osteoporosis risk later in life. A new study 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 affected 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 influenced
BMD. (1) Capitol Spine & Rehabilitation 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 people that results
from youthful (in)attention. Low serum levels of vitamin D in osteoporotic
women tend to have an heightened chance
of having any type of cancer and breast cancer. (2) Calcium intake during
the teen years of life is important to decrease the
risk of osteoporosis later in life. Teen girls absorb calcium better: 326mg in teenage girls versus just 73mg in older women of 1332 mg taken daily.
Even more problematic is that teen girls’ daily consumption
of calcium is far below what it should be. Boosting
bone mass by just 5% cuts the risk of fracture
by 40%. (3) Getting healthy bones is subject
to more than just calcium and vitamin D though.
Deficiencies of vitamins B, C, E, and K as well as retinol compromise
the health of bone. (4) Capitol Spine & Rehabilitation presents
these stats to encourage us all to boost
intake of nutrients to build bone mass initially and support it
later to keep it healthy.
IMPROVE ABSORPTION OF NUTRIENTS
Capitol Spine & Rehabilitation understands 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. Greater 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 did not associate
with bone loss in either men or women. Higher dietary fiber may reduce
bone loss in men. (5) Who would have imagined that fiber would
have anything to do with bone mineral density? Capitol Spine & Rehabilitation thinks
that many of our Baton Rouge chiropractic patients wouldn’t
have!
FIBER’S DEFENSE OF MEN’S BMD
Luckily, some very alert doctors and
researchers did notice that fiber intake was a protective factor of
lumbar spine BMD in men 18-45 years of age but not in females. In men over 65 years, nutrient
intake showed 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
value of nutrition - and now fiber intake in men - on the health
of the body, its bones and its spine.
CONTACT Capitol Spine & Rehabilitation
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 Baton Rouge chiropractic
appointment with Capitol Spine & Rehabilitation where your spine, body and its bones are well known
in their current age whether they were treated well in their youth or not!