“Youth is wasted on the young.” Have you heard that
saying? Johnson Chiropractic supposes that there’s
a bit of truth in that for all of us - and especially
our Richmond spines - as we age. When we’re young, our
bodies require our attention more than we realize. Our youthful
bones and spines and bodies need 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. Johnson Chiropractic shares what Richmond
chiropractic patients can do now to tackle bone mineral
density (BMD) issues, no matter 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 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 leading
factors were body weight at adolescence and young adulthood which positively influenced
BMD. (1) Johnson Chiropractic cannot stress enough just
how vital nutrition is for their future health.
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 important to reduce 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 way lower than what it should be. Boosting
bone mass by just 5% reduces the risk of fracture
by 40%. (3) Achieving healthy bones is subject
to 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) Johnson Chiropractic presents
these findings to inspire us all to increase
intake of nutrients to build bone mass early and support it
later to keep it healthy.
IMPROVE ABSORPTION OF NUTRIENTS
Johnson Chiropractic knows that kids and their
families want to be sure that their nutritional efforts will be of value. TIP: Dietary fiber may boost 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 increases did not associate
with bone loss in either men or women. Higher dietary fiber may decrease
bone loss in men. (5) Who would have imagined that fiber would
have anything to do with bone mineral density? Johnson Chiropractic thinks
that many of our Richmond chiropractic patients wouldn’t
have!
FIBER’S DEFENSE OF MEN’S BMD
Fortunately, some most alert doctors and
researchers did observe that fiber intake was a protective factor of
lumbar spine BMD in men 18-45 years of age 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) An interesting 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 debunked that
thought. (7) However, there is
evidence in the medical literature that stresses the overall
benefit of nutrition - and now fiber intake in men - on the health
of the body, its bones and its spine.
CONTACT Johnson Chiropractic
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 Richmond chiropractic
appointment with Johnson Chiropractic where your spine, body and its bones are well known
in their current age whether they were treated well in their youth or not!