“Youth is wasted on the young.” Have you heard that
saying? Satterwhite Chiropractic supposes that there’s
a little truth in that for all of us - and especially
our Oxford spines - as we age. When we’re young, our
bodies need8 our attention more than we gave. Our young
bones and spines and bodies need good nutrition so
that our older bones and spine and bodies are in good shape
when we desire living our lives less painfully and more
fully. Satterwhite Chiropractic shares what Oxford
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 decrease
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 influenced BMD in young
adulthood. Calcium intake in adolescent males strongly negatively influenced
BMD in the lumbar spine at young adulthood. Other influential
factors were body weight at adolescence and young adulthood which positively influenced
BMD. (1) Satterwhite Chiropractic cannot stress enough just
how vital nutrition is for their future well-being.
BENEFITS OF IMPROVED NUTRITION BEYOND BETTER BONE MINERAL
DENSITY
Osteoporosis is a disease of older folks that stems
from youthful (in)attention. Low serum levels of vitamin D in osteoporotic
women tend 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 problematic is that teen girls’ daily intake
of calcium is far below what it should be. Enhancing
bone mass by just 5% reduces the risk of fracture
by 40%. (3) Getting healthy bones hinges on 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) Satterwhite Chiropractic presents
these findings to inspire us all to increase
intake of nutrients to build bone mass initially and support it
later to keep it healthy.
IMPROVE ABSORPTION OF NUTRIENTS
Satterwhite Chiropractic understands that kids and their
families want to be sure that their nutritional efforts will pay
off. TIP: Dietary fiber may boost the body’s
absorption of calcium but does it in different ways 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 improvements didn’t relate to 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? Satterwhite Chiropractic supposes
that many of our Oxford chiropractic patients would not
have!
FIBER’S DEFENSE OF MEN’S BMD
Fortunately, there are some keenly
observant researchers and doctors around!
They discovered that fiber intake was a protective factor of
lumbar spine BMD in men 18-45 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 did significantly. (6) A curious 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 discredited that
thought. (7) However, there is
evidence in the medical literature that stresses the general
benefit of nutrition - and now fiber intake in men - on the well-being
of the body, its bones and its spine.
CONTACT Satterwhite Chiropractic
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Schedule your next Oxford chiropractic
appointment with Satterwhite Chiropractic where your spine, body and its bones are well understood
in their current age whether they were treated well in their youth or not!