“Youth is wasted on the young.” Have you heard that
saying? Spine & Sports Rehab Center supposes that there’s
a little truth in that for all of us - and especially
our Baton Rouge spines - as we age. When we’re young, our
bodies need8 our attention more than we realize. Our young
bones and spines and bodies require proper nutrition so
that our older bones and spine and bodies are healthy
when we want to live our lives less painfully and more
fully. Spine & Sports Rehab Center reveals what Baton Rouge
chiropractic patients can do now to deal with 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 reduce
osteoporosis risk later in life. A recent study wrote
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 influenced
BMD in the lumbar spine at young adulthood. Other leading
factors were body weight at adolescence and young adulthood which positively affected
BMD. (1) Spine & Sports Rehab Center can’t stress enough just
how important nutrition is for their future well-being.
BENEFITS OF IMPROVED NUTRITION BEYOND BETTER BONE MINERAL
DENSITY
Osteoporosis is a disease of older folks that stems
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 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 daily.
Even more concerning is that teen girls’ daily intake
of calcium is far below what it should be. Increasing
bone mass by only 5% cuts the risk of fracture
by 40%. (3) Getting healthy bones hinges on 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) Spine & Sports Rehab Center shares
these statistics 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
Spine & Sports Rehab Center understands that kids and their
families want to be sure that their nutritional efforts will be of value. TIP: Dietary fiber may increase the body’s
absorption of calcium but does it in different ways 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 increases did not relate to 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? Spine & Sports Rehab Center supposes
that many of our Baton Rouge chiropractic patients would not
have!
FIBER’S DEFENSE OF MEN’S BMD
Luckily, some very alert doctors and
researchers did observe that fiber intake was a protective factor of
lumbar spine BMD in men 18-45 years of old but not in women. 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: A new study
discredits the idea that BMD may be a risk factor
for lumbar disc herniation in youth, but a recent study discredited that
thought. (7) However, medical literature points out that the general
benefit of nutrition - and now fiber intake in men - on the health
of the body, its bones and its spine.
CONTACT Spine & Sports Rehab Center
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 Spine & Sports Rehab Center where your spine, body and its bones are well understood
in their current age whether they were treated well in their youth or not!