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Stand Tall: Aging Need Not Shorten Your Lifespan Or Your Height Dr. Ronald Klatz Osteoporosis is the most common bone disease that affects humans. It is characterized by reduced bone mass and a deterioration in the skeletal framework, which lead to increased risks for both fractures and gravity-related compressions of the vertebrae (the bones that compose the spine), both of which can result with age-related loss of height. Osteoporosis is a costly disease, affecting 44 million American men and women, at a cost of $17 billion to the nation's healthcare system. Often referred to as a "silent disease," osteoporosis often progresses without symptoms until a fracture occurs, most commonly in the hip (300,000 annually), spine (500,000 annually), wrist (200,000 annually), and other locations (300,000 annually). After experiencing a fracture, disability, stooped posture, severe and/or chronic pain, depression, and premature death may result. At present, osteoporosis has no cure, and medications treat symptoms and slow the progression of the disease, but do not help the body with rebuilding its bones. As a result, prevention becomes our best resort. Basics include: ¡¤ Eating a healthful, well balanced diet ¡¤ Weight-bearing exercise ¡¤ Don't smoke and don't drink excessively ¡¤ Regular diagnosis of bone mineral density (BMD) In addition, sufficient daily intake of the mineral calcium, and vitamin D - a necessary bone-building cofactor - are paramount. Calcium is essential for the maintenance of many body functions, including the transmission of nerve impulses, the regulation of muscle contraction and relaxation, blood clotting, maintaining acid-alkaline balance in the body, and assisting with various metabolic activities. At a daily intake of 1000 to 1300 mg, calcium helps to maintain strong bones and teeth. Some researchers say menopausal women need a bit more, 1500mg. It is not recommended to take more than 2000 mg on a long-term basis because doing so creates an increased risk of kidney stones. In today's 24/7/365 fast-food society, many of us fail to get enough calcium from the foods we consume, and the human body cannot produce calcium. Even after we reach our full skeletal length, we lose calcium every day when skin, nails, hair, and sweat are shed, as well as through urine and feces. This lost calcium must be replaced daily, otherwise the body takes calcium from existing bone, resulting in osteoporosis. Women who are post-menopausal are at greater risk of osteoporosis because they lose the bone-protecting effect of the hormone estrogen. As estrogen declines, the body looks to bone to take away its calcium (resorb it) and use it for other purposes in the body. In the first few years of menopause, women lose bone two to four times faster than they did before menopause. By age 65, some women have lost half of their skeletal mass. Additionally, as we age, our gastrointestinal (GI) system does not work as efficiently, and by age 65, intestinal calcium absorption has declined to less than 50% of that in adolescence. But again, fortunately we can take some proactive measures to assist our bone health, through calcium supplementation. When it comes to calcium supplements, there are many different calcium compounds. Each contains different amounts of elemental calcium and each also differs in their absorbability, both of which affect how much of the calcium supplement makes it across the gut barrier and into the bloodstream. Also, some forms of calcium are better tolerated by sensitive individuals. Speak with your doctor before starting a calcium supplement, since calcium supplements can reduce the absorption of the antibiotic tetracycline and the mineral iron, and affect the efficacy of some medications as well. Certain vitamins and minerals boost the body's use of calcium. Important adjuncts to calcium in that they facilitate the metabolism and utilization of calcium include: ¡¤ Vitamin D is essential for the body to absorb and process calcium. You can get Vitamin D via the skin from sun exposure (5-15 minutes a day) or from dietary sources. Experts recommend 400 to 800 IUs per day. ¡¤ Minerals such as magnesium and phosphorus ¡¤ Hydrochloric acid (glutamic acid HCl) After a women turns 50, she has a 50% chance that she will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture at some time in her life. You are never too young to maintain healthy calcium uptake. Remember when mom sat you at the kitchen table to drink your milk, usually several times a day, and usually begrudgingly you did? Mom was right. One 8-ounce glass of low-fat milk contains about 300 mg of calcium. Calcium-rich foods include egg yolk, fish or sardines (eaten with bones), yogurt, soybeans, green leafy vegetables (such as turnip greens, mustard greens, broccoli and kale), roots, tubers, seeds, soups and stews made from bones, blackstrap molasses, almonds, figs and beans. While this issue of Nutri-News has a theme of Women's Health, we would be remiss if we did not convey that men do get osteoporosis. Men are less dependent on estrogen and have more bone mass to begin with, however their osteoporosis risk increases when testosterone production decreases (as occurs in aging, in men being treated for prostate cancer, or in men who have had testicular surgery.) Postmenopausal osteoporosis that causes hip fracture will cause: ¡¤ half of elderly white women to become long-term disabled ¡¤ a quarter to require long-term assistive care ¡¤ one-fifth will die as a direct consequence of the fracture. New findings, released in May 2003, from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Harvard University, Boston MA, USA), found that women with low bone mass in their later years are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The researchers submitted that this relationship originates from the decline in estrogen production at menopause, and that lifetime estrogen levels may become a new marker for osteoporosis risk in women. For men, the researchers found no relationship between bone mass and memory decline. Remember, bones are constantly being dissolved and remade throughout life. Osteoporosis results when bone degradation occurs at a faster rate than bone building. To tip the cycle to favor the latter, follow a basic and simple osteoporosis-fighting regimen that includes a quality supplement that includes a form of calcium that your body best absorbs and tolerates, Vitamin D/sunlight, magnesium, phosphorus, and hydrochloric acid. By doing so, you can stand tall as you celebrate your 100th birthday. Dr. Ronald Klatz is a physician and co-founder of the anti-aging medical movement and of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M; Chicago, IL USA; www.worldhealth.net), a non-profit medical organization dedicated to the advancement of technology to detect, prevent, and treatt aging related disease and to promote research into methods to retard and optimize the human aging process. A4M is also dedicated to educating physicians, scientists, and members of the public on anti-aging issues. References: "A4M Anti-Aging Desk Reference, 2003 edn," Anti-Aging Medical News Fall 2003. "Calcium Supplements," National Osteoporosis Foundation, http://www.nof.org/prevention/calcium_supplements.htm, accessed June 18, 2003.
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