“Youth is wasted on the young.” Have you heard that
saying? Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation supposes that there is
a little truth in that for all of us - and especially
our Carrolltown spines - as we age. When we’re 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 healthy
when we want to live our lives less painfully and more
fully. Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation reveals what Carrolltown
chiropractic patients can do now to address bone mineral
density (BMD) issues, regardless of 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 new report 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 influenced 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 affected
BMD. (1) Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation can’t emphasize 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 people that stems
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 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 concerning is that teen girls’ daily intake
of calcium is far below what it should be. Increasing
bone mass by just 5% drops the risk of fracture
by 40%. (3) Achieving 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) Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation 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
Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation knows 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. 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 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? Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation thinks
that many of our Carrolltown chiropractic patients would not
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 aged 18 and 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 didn’t produce a significant change to BMD, but daily fat intake significantly increased
BMD. (6) An interesting 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 debunked that
thought. (7) However, there is
evidence in the medical literature that stresses the overall
value of nutrition - and now fiber intake in men - on the health
of the body, its bones and its spine.
CONTACT Gormish Chiropractic & 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 Carrolltown chiropractic
appointment with Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation where your spine, body and its bones are well understood
in their current age whether they were treated well in their youth or not!