When Should Osteoporosis Be Treated With Medication
Women whose bone density test shows T-scores of -2.5 or lower, such as -3.3 or -3.8, should begin therapy to reduce their risk of fracture. Many women need treatment if they have osteopenia, which is bone weakness that is not as severe as osteoporosis. Your doctor might use the World Health Organization fracture risk assessment tool, or FRAX, to see if you qualify for treatment based on your risk factors and bone density results. People who have had a typical osteoporosis fracture, such as that of the wrist, spine or hip, should also be treated .
Supplements
Its important to remember that dietary supplements, although available everywhere over-the-counter and online, aen’t regulated in the same way that prescription medications are. Also, even though something is natural, that doesnt mean that it is safe for everyone at all times.
You might be told by your healthcare provider to get adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D. This is important if you have osteoporosis or if you are trying to prevent it. Its best if you can meet those needs with a food plan, but you might not be able to do that. There are plant-based calcium supplements, some of which are based on algae.
There are different ideas about the necessary levels of vitamin D, but its true that many people do not have adequate levels and might need to take supplements. Your healthcare provider might test your blood levels and then make recommendations based on these results.
Dietary Measures For Preventing Osteoporosis
While increasing calcium consumption can help to prevent the development of osteoporosis and can ameliorate osteopenia, it is also vitally important that Vitamin D is included in the diet.; Vitamin D facilitates the absorption and metabolism of calcium.; People who are suffering from osteopenia in particular may find that there is sufficient calcium in the diet, but the lack of Vitamin D is causing the mineral to be excreted rather than used by the body.
Along with the reduction of caffeine consumption, the addition of the following foods can also help to prevent osteoporosis:
- Yogurt along with high levels of calcium and Vitamin D, this food also contains probiotics which can assist with digestive function.; Better digestion can assist with the proper utilization of nutrients.
- Lean proteins from poultry and meat the amino acids in proteins are also necessary for the proper health of bones.; These foods can assist in building bone density and can also aid in calcium absorption.
- Fortified orange juice this is not only a better beverage choice since it does not contain caffeine, but it can also act as a supplement for both calcium and Vitamin D in the diet.
Negative Effect #: Coffee Can Cause Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis;is a serious and costly bone disease. It occurs when too much bone is lost and/or too little is made. Bones lose density and start to look like a honeycomb. Bones become brittle and frail. In serious cases, you can break a bone merely from sneezing!
This disease is extremely dangerous for senior citizens, causing permanent pain. You are especially perceptible if you have low bone density to begin with. And as multiple studies show, caffeine may be a factor too.
Calcium is crucial for healthy bones. And caffeine can decrease the efficiency of calcium absorption. A;study;found that for every cup of joe you drink, you can lose around 4-6 mg of calcium. Another study found that caffeine can lead to;accelerated loss of bone mineral density;in elderly women.
But in most studies, many cups of coffee and low calcium intake were needed for this negative effect. To be on the safe side, especially for older folks, try to limit yourself to three cups per day and eat a lot of calcium and vitamin D!
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Can Coffee Increase Urinary Excretion Of Calcium
Another component of the coffee and bone health controversy involves increased urinary excretion of calcium. Its true that coffee can increase our urinary excretion of calcium but only slightly. This can easily be balanced by taking your coffee with some form of calcium-containing milk, regularly eating calcium-rich foods, and taking a good calcium supplement such as AlgaeCal Plus.
Also, its important to have adequate vitamin D levels a good range is 60-80 ng per mL of 25OHD. The only way to know where you currently stand and to supplement accordingly is to get tested. Ask your doctor for a Vitamin D test. And discover more about the exciting benefits of vitamin D, here.
Food And Your Bones Osteoporosis Nutrition Guidelines
The food that you eat can affect your bones. Learning about the foods that are rich in calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients that are important for your bone health and overall health will help you make healthier food choices every day. Use the chart below for examples of the different types of food you should be eating every day.
If you eat a well-balanced diet with plenty of dairy, fish, fruits and vegetables, you should get enough of the nutrients you need every day, but if youre not getting the recommended amount from food alone, you may need to complement your diet by taking multivitamins or supplements.
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Osteoporosis Diet Danger : There’s Something About Soy
While soy products such as edamame, tofu, tempeh, and soy beverages are rich in bone-building protein, they contain plant compounds that may hamper calcium absorption.
Oxalates in soy can bind up calcium and make it unavailable to the body, Massey says. Problems may arise when you eat a lot of soy but donât eat a lot of calcium, according to Kerstetter.
The research is mixed about soy. Some small studies show soy can cause problems with bone strength; others show that the right type of soy protect bone strength. To avoid any risk, be sure to get a lot of calcium in your diet, primarily through dairy foods or supplements.
Soy products fortified with calcium may foster a false sense of security. When researchers compared calcium content and solubility of calcium-added beverages, they found that much of the calcium in soy and other beverages sank to the bottom of the container and could not be redistributed throughout the drink, even with shaking.
Still, fortified soy products, such as tofu processed with calcium, provide a hefty dose of bone-building nutrients and make a good addition to a balanced diet. If your diet is heavy on soy, be sure to also take in at least 1,000 milligrams of calcium every day.
You Can Have Your Coffee And Your Bone Health
Bottom line. As you’ve heard me say before, the Osteoporosis Reversal Program is not an all or nothing proposition. You can still enjoy the foods you like, including coffee or tea. Just try to find a bone-healthy balance by limiting your consumption, adding alkaline snacks, and using alternative drinks when you can.
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The Bottom Line On Coffee
As you can see, you can still enjoy your morning coffee and have healthy bones.
In fact, drinking coffee may actually help improve your bone health! So dont worry about having that cup, or two or three each day so long as youre not dousing it in bone-depleting sugar!
That said, the best route to healthy bones is a healthy diet with lots of calcium rich-foods, along with an active lifestyle. Better still, add in the worlds only calcium supplement guaranteed to increase bone density each year.;Its guilt-free as well: coming from a natural, plant-based calcium source that also contains all 13 trace minerals your bones need for optimal density.
Heavy Drinking And Osteoporosis: The Dose Makes The Poison
Even if the research on moderate drinking and osteoporosis is mixed, there is solid research that chronic heavy drinking does increase the risk of osteoporosis, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
We know that alcohol abuse has detrimental affects on bone health, says Dr. Turner. What we dont know is how much of the effect is alcohol directly on bone versus the other comorbidities that occur with alcohol abusers.
Other associations may come into play, like poor diet; or problems with pancreatitis, diabetes, or liver disease. All of these are known to negatively affect the skeleton, he says. The take-home message to the typical person is that alcohol abuse is bad. And whether its a direct or indirect effect on bone, its still a negative effect.
One study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs examined the association between heavy episodic drinking and college-age womens bone density test scores. They defined heavy episodic drinking as having four or more drinks within two hours on 115 or more occasions since the start of high school, about 1.6 episodes per month over this period. The researchers found decreased bone mineral density in the vertebrae of those women who had more instances of binge drinking episodes, which suggests that heavy drinking before women have reached peak bone mass which usually occurs by the late twenties could negatively impact skeletal health.
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Is A Coffee Habit Impacting Your Bone Health
Coffee wakes you up in the morning, perks you up in the afternoon, provides a premise to meet with pals, and caps off a meal just right. But does it affect your bone health and make you more susceptible to fractures and falls?
The New York Times Well blog recently considered that very question, reassuringly citing a systematic review of the effects of caffeine including from coffee — published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology that concluded that daily coffee drinking is not associated with significant concern regarding the risk of fracture and fall, particularly for adults who are healthy and have enough calcium in their diets.
The review, which was sponsored by ILSI North America, a non-profit scientific organization that works to address issues of nutrition and food safety and is primarily funded by industry, examined caffeines effect on a variety of aspects of bone health, including bone mineral density, osteoporosis, risk of fracture and fall, and calcium homeostasis. The calcium in our diets is critical to maintaining bone health.
The review focused on healthy adults, and more research is needed to determine caffeines effect on those with health challenges or other sensitivities. The evidence supports a lower recommended caffeine-intake threshold for pregnant women , as well as children and adolescents .
Phew.
Does Decaffeinated Coffee Deplete Calcium In Bones
Fact Checked
What you eat and drink can affect your bone density and your risk for osteoporosis. Regular coffee contains caffeine, which may interfere with the absorption of calcium, especially if you get a lot of it in your diet 1. Drinking decaffeinated coffee doesn’t necessarily remove the potential for decreases in bone density, however.
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Osteoporosis Diet Danger : Is Protein Problematic
The idea that protein, particularly animal protein, is problematic for bones is a myth, says bone researcher Jane Kerstetter, PhD, RD, professor of nutrition at the University of Connecticut. “Protein does not dissolve bone. Just the opposite.”
Bones are about 50% protein. Bone repair requires a steady stream of dietary amino acids, the building blocks of body proteins.
“Adequate calcium and vitamin D cast a protective net around bones, but protein comes in a close second,” Kerstetter says.
Although most Americans get plenty of protein, many older women fail to get enough protein on a daily basis and it’s hurting their bones, according to Kerstetter.
The suggested daily protein intake is 0.8 grams of protein per 2.2 pounds for men and women over age 19. That amounts to about 55 grams of protein a day for a 150-pound woman and about 64 grams a day for a 175-pound man.
Get the protein you need to bolster bones with these protein sources:
- 3 ounces light tuna, drained: 22 grams protein
- 3 ounces cooked chicken, turkey, or pork tenderloin: about 20 grams
- 3 ounces cooked salmon: 19 grams
- 8 ounces fat-free plain yogurt: 13 grams
- 8 ounces fat-free milk: 8 grams
- 1 medium egg: 6 grams
Coffee Prevents Neurodegenerative Diseases
In 2010 a group of researchers gathered data from four studies on the relationship between coffee consumption and cognitive decline. The studies they examined were different in methodology and results, but their combined conclusion was clear: the caffeine in coffee has a neuroprotective effect.6
That means that coffee drinkers are less likely to experience cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimers Disease. Participants in these studies were as much as 65% less likely to develop these neurodegenerative conditions, because of the benefits of coffee.6
Much like the other studies, this inverse relationship was seen across consumption levels. So drinking coffee in moderation still benefits your neurological health.
Synopsis
A meta-analysis of various studies has found that coffee drinking reduces the risk of cognitive decline and neurological disease.
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The Challenges Of Studying Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol is very challenging to study and the variability of the results in these studies is most likely because most of the effects of moderate alcohol consumption on bone are subtle, says Russell T. Turner, PhD, a researcher at the Skeletal Biology Laboratory at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon who studies how exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle interact to influence skeletal health. If alcohol has any beneficial or detrimental effect, its probably going to be over a really long term.
For one thing, alcohol consumption in many of these studies is self-reported. Study participants might have to think back on whether they had one drink a day or two over the past year, explains Dr. Turner. Their memory versus actual occurrence could lead to discrepancies. Then you have to factor in that the size of one persons alcoholic drink may differ significantly from person to person.
Dr. Turner worked on a review of studies published in the journal Alcoholism, Clinical, and Experimental Research that found that light-to-moderate drinking might have beneficial effects on older adults by slowing bone remodeling, though he says that alcohols effect on younger adults skeleton and bone remodeling is less certain. In people who are careful, moderate drinkers, then its unlikely that is going to lead to any type of skeletal issue, he says.
Osteoporosis Diet Danger : Salt Is Bad For The Bone
Salt can pose a great obstacle to a sturdy skeleton. Research has found that postmenopausal women with a high-salt diet lose more bone minerals than other women of the same age.
“The salt content of the typical American diet is one of the reasons why calcium requirements are so high,” says Linda K. Massey, PhD, RD, a professor of human nutrition at Washington State University in Spokane.
Massey says studies show that regular table salt, not simply sodium, causes calcium loss, weakening bones with time. Thatâs important because Americans get about 90% of our sodium through salt.
We also get about twice as much sodium as we should. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise limiting sodium to 2,300 milligrams a day â equal to a teaspoon of salt. But most Americans get at least 4,000 milligrams a day.
“Generally speaking, for every 2,300 milligrams of sodium you take in, about 40 milligrams of calcium is lost in the urine,” Massey explains.
Getting the recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D every day helps offset bone loss from salt.
- Adults up to age 50 require 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily — the equivalent of three 8-ounce glasses of milk.
- Older adults need 1,200 milligrams of daily calcium â about half a glass more of milk.
As for vitamin D:
- People need 200 International Units of vitamin D a day until age 50.
- Adults need 400 IU of vitamin D from the ages of 51 to 70 years.
- Seniors need 600 IU of vitamin D a day after age 70.
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Negative Effect #: Coffee Can Hinder Ability Of Platelets
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Platelets are cell fragments produced in your bone marrow.
They play the biggest role in stopping bleeding. The proteins on their surface allow them to stick to each other and blood vessel walls. They effectively become a plug in openings to stop blood from rushing out.
In 2008, a study was done on the effect of coffee and caffeine on platelets. The participants either consumed coffee or a caffeine capsule and water. The ones who only drank coffee experienced an;anti-platelet effect. Their platelets had a decreased ability in sticking together.
The subjects who only had caffeine saw no change. So it seems that something else in the coffee is the culprit . This can potentially be fatal if you are anemic or have other blood-clotting disorders.
Misnomer Alert: Low Acid Coffee
You may have seen ads for low acid coffees. But before you get all excited and think that you can now drink coffee without its acidifying effects on your bones, here’s the deal. Low acid coffees may have less of an impact on your digestive system, but don’t forget that pH levels have to do with what happens after the food is digested, not how it feels going down. So unfortunately for those of us who are coffee lovers, low acid coffee is still just as acidifying.
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What Is The Difference Between Osteoporosis And Osteopenia
Osteoporosis refers to the loss of bone density, while Osteopenia is the loss of minerals from the bones.; People can have osteopenia and still be within normal ranges for overall bone density, although this condition is often seen as a precursor for osteoporosis.; In many cases, taking preventive measures when osteopenia is the only symptom of a possible future problem can greatly reduce the risk of fractures and weakened bones over time.