“Youth is wasted on the young.” Ever heard that? Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries supposes that there is
a bit of truth in that for all of us - and particularly
our Manchester spines - as we age. When we are young, our
bodies need8 our attention more than we realize. Our young
bones and spines and bodies require good nutrition so
that our older bones and spine and bodies are fit
when we desire living our lives less painfully and more
fully. Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries reveals what Manchester
chiropractic patients can do now to deal with bone mineral
density (BMD) issues, regardless of 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 wrote
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 influenced
BMD in the lumbar spine at young adulthood. Other leading
factors were body weight at adolescence and young adulthood which positively affected
BMD. (1) Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries cannot emphasize enough just
how important nutrition is for their future health.
BENEFITS OF IMPROVED NUTRITION BEYOND BETTER BONE MINERAL
DENSITY
Osteoporosis is a disease of older people that results
from youthful (in)attention. Low serum levels of vitamin D in osteoporotic
women tend to have an increased chance
of having any type 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 more
effectively: 326mg in teenage girls versus just 73mg in older women of 1332 mg taken daily.
Even more problematic is that teen girls’ daily intake
of calcium is way lower than what it should be. Enhancing
bone mass by only 5% reduces the risk of fracture
by 40%. (3) Getting 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
bone’s health. (4) Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries presents
these stats 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
Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries knows that kids and their
families want to be sure that their nutritional efforts will be of value. TIP: Dietary fiber may raise 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 improvements did not relate to bone loss in either men or women. Higher dietary fiber may reduce
bone loss in men. (5) Who would have thought that fiber would
have anything to do with bone mineral density? Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries thinks
that many of our Manchester chiropractic patients would not
have!
FIBER’S DEFENSE OF MEN’S BMD
Luckily, there are some very
observant researchers and doctors around!
They discovered that fiber intake was a protective factor of
lumbar spine BMD in men aged 18 and 45 years of
age but not in females. In men over 65 years, nutrient
intake showed no effect on BMD. In women between 18 and 45,
fiber didn’t show a significant change to BMD, but daily fat intake significantly enhanced
BMD. (6) An interesting side note: It had been thought that bone
mineral density could 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 emphasizes the overall
value of nutrition - and now fiber intake in men - on the well-being
of the body, its bones and its spine.
CONTACT Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries
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 Manchester chiropractic
appointment with Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries where your spine, body and its bones are well understood
in their current age whether they were treated well in their youth or not!