Osteoporosis – The Silent Thief

We all know that calcium is required for strong bones. But so are other vitamins and minerals. Read on…

Bones form the framework of the body and help in movement. With age, they become weak and fragile increasing the chances of fracture with or without injury. While Diabetes is called a Silent Killer and a lot of awareness is generated about it, Osteoporosis is a Silent thief as it steals Calcium from your bones and makes bones porous.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis deserves great attention to avoid mobility issues. This will reduce the suffering of the elderly population especially females. Calcium is the foremost mineral that comes to mind while referring to bones. It helps to make bones dense.

About 99% of calcium is in your bones and teeth and 1% is in the blood (serum calcium). Serum calcium helps in muscle contraction, beating of heart and clotting of blood. When serum calcium falls, there is removal of calcium from the bones to maintain the levels.

Calcium Requirement

The daily requirement of calcium for women up to 50 years and men up to 70 years is 1000 mg/day while for women above 50 and men above 70 years is 1200 mg/day. Why the difference in calcium requirement?

The reason is osteoporosis affects women more than men. A study in Delhi estimated its prevalence in men as 24.6% as against 42.5% in men. Osteoporosis has affected 100 million women worldwide – approx. one-tenth of women at 60, one-fifth at 70, two-fifths at 80 and two-thirds at 90. This is because there is a rapid decline in bone mass density after menopause.

Exercise and Lifestyle

However, while it is more predominant in women, it can also affect children and adults with hormonal imbalances, thyroid or on crash diets. Along with a proper balanced diet, weight bearing exercises like jogging, walking, climbing up and down the stairs and resistance training helps in its prevention. Lifestyle modifications, avoiding alcohol and smoking also make a big difference.   

We lose calcium through sweat, urine and faeces in day to day life. It is important for the body to maintain its calcium levels for smooth functioning. Our body does not make calcium. Therefore it is important to obtain calcium through our diet. Otherwise one has to resort to supplements. 

Calcium Sources

We are all aware of milk and other dairy products as rich sources of calcium. But are they the only sources? Soya and its products, dark green leafy vegetables such as moringa and radish leaves, almonds, walnuts, sesame and garden cress seeds, fermented ragi products, sardines, Chinese cabbage and broccoli are some other sources.

Other Vitamins and Minerals

However, we cannot forget the importance of other vitamins and minerals that help the body to absorb and utilize calcium; the foremost being Vitamin D, the Sunshine vitamin.

The other important vitamins are B5, B6, B9, B12 and K2. The minerals phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc, potassium, Boron and silica all have key roles in bone strengthening. 

(More in Part II..watch out for the sequel!)