Parul Sevashram Hospital

Tips For Keeping Your Bones Healthy

Tips For Keeping Your Bones Healthy
Our bones provide support and allow us to move. They shield our brain, heart, and other vital organs from harm. Our bones also store minerals like calcium and phosphorus, which help keep our bones strong and release them back into the body when we need them. We can do numerous things to maintain the health and strength of our bones. Eating calcium and vitamin D-rich foods, getting plenty of exercises, and practising good health habits all help to keep our bones healthy. However, if we do not eat properly and get enough suitable types of exercise, our bones can become weak and even break. Broken bones (also known as fractures) can be painful and require healing surgery. They can also have long-term health consequences. The good news is that it is never too late to start caring for your bones.

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Here are a few tips to keep your bones healthy:

Protein is Also Essential

Include high-protein foods in your diet, such as eggs, salmon, lean meats, soy, beans, and legumes. Protein promotes bone mineral content, reduces fracture risk, builds and preserves muscles, protects bones and joints, and stimulates bone strength. As a result, include protein in your diet to ensure good bone health.

Stop Smoking

If you smoke, you should stop doing so right now. Smoking is harmful because it puts you at risk for a variety of health problems, including osteoporosis. After all, even one cigarette impairs the proper functioning of bone-building cells.

Avoid Aerated Beverages

Aerated soft drinks and other sugary drinks have a negative impact on bone health. Carbonated drinks reduce bone growth and natural strength, decrease bone mineral content, cause weight gain, decrease lean muscle mass, and cause calcium and iron loss. So, instead of aerated drinks, try natural unsweetened juices or plain old water with tea or coffee.

Perform Strength Training Exercises Regularly

Exercise for strength is especially important for those who have lower extremity joint deficiencies, such as knee or hip arthritis, which can limit your ability to perform a weight-bearing exercise. Resistance training or bone loading is essential. Lifting lighter weights with more repetitions may deprive you of the bone health benefits provided by strength training, which focuses on increasing weight resistance. Proper breathing and technique are important factors for safe lifting to achieve maximum benefits with minimal risk.  

Make Vitamin D A Part of Your Day

Most adults require 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day to aid in calcium absorption. Unfortunately, most calcium-vitamin D supplements do not meet this requirement. And the majority of us who live north of Atlanta do not get enough vitamin D from the sun. Taking a vitamin D supplement will help you meet your daily requirements.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Your primary goal for maintaining good bone health should be to maintain a healthy weight. To maintain a healthy weight, calculate your BMI on a regular basis. Weight is important for bone health, so being too thin or overweight can put you at risk for a variety of bone health issues.

Avoid Falls

A fall is one of the most common causes of fracture. Avoid falls if you want to avoid fractures and other bone damage. You can avoid falls by taking simple precautions such as investing in good grip shoes, avoiding slippery soles, watching where you walk to avoid tripling, walking on a well-lit street or using a torch in dark areas, and improving your balance.

Add More Vegetables To Your Diet

Consume plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, which are high in magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K, and vitamin B. All of these essential nutrients contribute to overall skeletal health by strengthening bones, regenerating and regulating enzymes, and regulating various bone-building cells.  

Include Magnesium and Zinc-Rich Foods

Calcium isn’t the only mineral necessary for bone health. Others, such as magnesium and zinc, also play a role. Magnesium is essential for converting vitamin D into the active form that promotes calcium absorption. An observational study of over 73,000 women discovered that those who consumed 400 mg of magnesium daily had 2-3% higher bone density than those who consumed half this amount daily. Although magnesium is trace amounts in most foods, there are only a few high-quality sources. Magnesium glycinate, citrate, or carbonate supplements may be beneficial.

Zinc is a trace mineral that is only required in trace amounts. It contributes to the mineral content of your bones. Furthermore, zinc promotes the formation of bone-building cells and prevents excessive bone breakdown.

Studies have shown Zinc supplements to support bone growth in children and bone density maintenance in older adults. Zinc-rich foods include beef, shrimp, spinach, flaxseeds, oysters, and pumpkin seeds.

If you have a history of bone-related or other health problems that cause bone loss, speak with your doctor about how he can help you prevent further bone loss by prescribing certain medications. Also, be alert; contact orthopedic doctor near you immediately if you notice any complications or health issues. 

Bone health is essential at every stage of life. However, having strong bones is something that many people take for granted because symptoms often do not appear until the bone loss has progressed. Fortunately, many nutrition and lifestyle habits can aid in developing and maintaining strong bones — and it’s never too early to begin.

Written by Parul Sevashram Hospital  |  12 December 2022

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