When I start mentioning bone health most people start picturing glasses of milk and other dairy products. Of course starting the Paleo diet means leaving milk and other dairy products behind. Surely then this is worrying? Where will I get my calcium? What about bone issues like osteoporosis?
Let’s clear the air about Paleo and Osteoporosis.
Our Bones
Did you know that our bones are actually living and constantly changing? This process begins in utero (in our moms belly’s) and our bones continually strengthen until about the age of 20, where we reach our peak bone mass. For this reason childhood as well as adolescent nutrition is vital for our bone health (1). As we begin to age, we start to lose bone density. In a healthy body, new bone tissue is constantly being deposited at the same time. You can read all the really sciencey stuff about our bones here.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is literally latin for porous bone. It is a disease in which the density and quality of our bones are greatly reduced. The problem with this is that the individual will then be at a greater risk for fractures and breaks if they fall or bump themselves.
Who is at risk for Osteoporosis
One of the biggest issues with osteoporosis as a disease is that it has a silent and slow progression with usually no symptoms. Very often the first sign that there is an issue is when a fracture occurs.
Risk factors include the following:
Age: As we age our bone density begins to drop, the majority of hip fractures occur in people over the age of 50 (2)
Being a Female: Unfortunately women who have undergone menopause are more susceptible to bone loss that men. This is due to the drop in the hormone estrogen. Estrogen is a vital part of bone formation in women.
A Family History of Osteoporosis: A family history of osteoporosis implicates a genetic predisposition to the disease. If a parent has suffered from osteoporosis or a fracture take care to undergo the necessary tests.
Hormonal Changes From a Hysterectomy: As we’ve mentioned, the hormone estrogen is vital for bone health. Woman who undergo a hysterectomy where the ovaries are also removed need to be aware that this is a major risk factor for osteoporosis (3).
Frequent Consumption of Alcohol: People who more than 2 units of alcohol per day have a 40% increased risk of suffering from an osteoporotic related fracture. This is due to a poor nutritional status in those who drink (4)
Very Low Weight For Height: People who have a very low weight for height, have an increased chance of developing osteoporosis and potentially suffering from a fracture. It turns out being heavier means that gravity gets to play a role in ensuring that you maintain a certain bone density (5).
Smoking: People who smoke who have a history of smoking have an increased risk of fracture in comparison to non-smokers.
Sedentary Lifestyle: People who have lead, or lead a sedentary lifestyle are far more likely to suffer from decreased bone density than those who lead an active lifestyle. This includes people who sit for longer than 9 hours per day (6).
Low Dietary Calcium Intake: Yes calcium intake has a role to play in helping to prevent osteoporosis but it is not the only factor.
Calcium
Calcium is important for bone health in that without appropriate levels of calcium in your blood stream your body begins to leach calcium from your bones. The problem with this is that your bones mineral density then decreases. So we should just take a calcium supplement right?
Not so simple. Those ‘got milk‘ adverts have been a bit misleading to say the least. Bone health and preventing conditions like osteoporosis are a lot more complicated than calcium and dairy products.
