In osteoporosis management, a healthy lifestyle that includes regular weight bearing exercises, supported by a well-balanced diet that provides sufficient calcium and vitamin D is crucial in maintaining bone health and strength.
Vitamin D helps your body absorb the calcium in your diet. Your body is capable of making its own vitamin D through sunshine on your skin. Allow healthy amounts of sunshine on your arms and legs several times a day, this is best done for about 5 to 30 minutes each time.
Exercise helps strengthen your muscles and bones while improving your balance and gait. It is never too late to start exercising! There are all types of safe exercises for patients with osteoporosis:
Find the safest, most enjoyable activities for you to support your overall health. Do avoid high impact exercises or bending and twisting movements which may cause injury and fractures in osteoporotic bone.
It is also advisable to consult a doctor or health professional if you are unsure about your bone health and what exercises to do. High valued advice can also be given from an orthopaedic surgeon.
Adequate intake of calcium is important to maintain bones and bodily functions. Everyday calcium is lost through urine, faeces, sweat and the shedding of hair, nails and skin. Calcium may be replaced by eating calcium-rich foods such as dairy products, calcium fortified products and even non-dairy food.
Calcium is best absorbed when taken in small amounts throughout the day, so spread your calcium intake over breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here are some easy guidelines for selecting foods high in calcium:
It is best to get all your calcium and vitamin D from food and sun exposure alone. If you are unable to get enough of either nutrient, consider a calcium or a vitamin D supplement.
The amount of calcium needed for healthy bones and teeth varies by age. The National Institute of Health suggests these levels of daily intake for adults:
The amount of calcium we absorb from the supplement depends on its form and how well it dissolves in our intestines. The two main forms of calcium supplements are calcium carbonate and calcium citrate.
Calcium carbonate supplements dissolve better in an acid environment and so should be taken with a meal.
Calcium citrate supplements do not need acid to dissolve so can be taken any time. For this reason, people who have problems absorbing medications should consider taking calcium citrate. This includes people taking medication for heartburn or reflux, and patients who have had intestinal bypass surgery.
Adults ages 19 through 50 should not get more than 2,500 mg calcium total per day (including food and supplements). Adults over age 50 should not exceed 2,000 mg total per day. Dietary calcium is considered safe, but too much calcium in the form of supplements might have some health risks.
Too much calcium has the potential to increase the risk of kidney stones, constipation or even calcium build-up in your blood vessels, along with difficulty absorbing iron and zinc.
Avoid overloading on your calcium intake with the following tips:
At Orion Orthopaedic, we believe in providing a tailored approach for individual patients to help them achieve better standards of living. Schedule a consultation with our orthopaedic surgeon Dr Mizan Marican today to understand more about osteoporosis and how we can help you achieve a better quality of life.