Osteoporosis – Calcium is not Enough
Osteoporosis – Calcium Alone is not Enough
A friend told me she was suffering from osteoporosis and couldn’t understand how she was ingesting so much calcium in supplements and food and it wasn’t helping her situation at all. “I just don’t know where all the calcium is going!” she lamented, telling me that she was drinking so much milk and taking calcium supplements.
Osteoporosis is the disease which increases the risk of fractures in the hips, wrists and spine in both men and women over 50. Most people have heard of the disease and most people know that exercise and calcium supplements will protect one against the onset of osteoporosis. However, there is more to preventing this bone thinning disease than just calcium and exercise.
Factors which contribute to osteoporosis include being over the age of 65, a family history of hip fractures, suffering a fracture after the age of 40, early onset of menopause, long term use of steroids (e.g., prednisone), any illness such as Crohn’s disease or celiac disease which prevents absorption of nutrients, excess alcohol, being underweight, cigarette smoking, excess sodium in the diet and limited calcium in the diet.
Adequate amounts of Vitamin D, a healthy diet, exercise and calcium supplementation will help you immensely. But you also need to have adequate amounts of Vitamin D, magnesium, Vitamin K and protein in your diet. Below is a list of the required daily amounts of nutritional supplementation you must take to avoid osteoporosis:
Calcium
Adults 19 – 50
Adults over 50
1000 mg/day
1500 mg/day
Vitamin D Adults over 50 400 IU/day
800 IU/day and 1000 IU in the fall and winter
Magnesium 320 mg/day for women
420 mg/day for men
Vitamin K
90 – 120 micrograms/day for men & women
Protein 20 gm/day
[...] for Blotchy Skın when trying to purchase Vitamin K supplements at the pharmacy to help with osteoporosis prevention. The pharmacy did not stock vitamin K but suggested Vita-K cream – to be absorbed by the skin. [...]