Nearly 44 million Americans over the age of 50 are inflicted with osteoporosis, a bone disease where calcium and/or vitamin D deficiencies cause bones to become fragile and easily breakable. This condition can result in a fall or sneeze causing permanent hip, leg or other bone injury. In order to prevent it from happening to you, make sure you have a diet rich in vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus – all the ingredients of healthy bone development.
Start by seeking out foods with vitamin D. Although your body manufactures its own version when exposed to sunlight, you may not be getting enough exposure, or if you are older than 50, your skin may no longer be able to supply sufficient amounts of vitamin D due to the lack of nutrient-producing cells. Without vitamin D, your stomach cannot determine how much calcium and phosphorus to remove from digestion for use in bone development. Consequently, your bones deteriorate and take longer to recover from injury. Thus, you must find vitamin D food sources like eggs, liver, fatty fish and fish oils whenever possible. If you are not a big meat eater, you can also have cereal, dairy products and whole-grains which contain added vitamin D as part of their ingredients.
Your next goal should be to get as much calcium as you can. Although vitamin D is needed in order to absorb calcium, calcium provides the foundation of bone structure, including teeth. Osteoporosis takes over when there are deficiencies in this vital element. To achieve your recommended daily allowance, which according to the Mayo Clinic – a leading health-research organization— is about 1200 mg, consider taking a supplement or eating almost any dairy product. Although there are fruits like tomatoes which contain trace amounts, you would have to eat over fifty pounds a day to get your daily requirement. Fortunately, whole-grain products, like bread and cereal, and fruit juices come fortified with extra calcium to help reach daily intake-levels.
Phosphorus, which also aids in the contraction of muscle, is the last important ingredient of osteoporosis prevention. Usually phosphorus is never a major concern with osteoporosis because it is found abundantly in meat, dairy and most whole grain products and achieving the recommended daily allowance of 1000 mg comes naturally; however, certain diseases can decrease the absorption of phosphorus, requiring individuals to consider taking a phosphate tablet to get a normal supply. In general, you should worry more about getting enough calcium and then vitamin D before you worry at all about phosphorus.
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