Osteoporosis affects 55 percent of Americans over the age of 50---approximately 44 million people---according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. Although it is more prevalent in older people, it can strike at any age. Nutrition is an important factor in building and maintaining bone density. Your bones need a mixture of protein, calcium, vitamin K, phosphorous and vitamin D to build and replace the tissue that gives it strength.
Osteoporosis Basics
Your bones constantly renew themselves through a process called "bone turnover," in which specialized cells called osteoclasts break down old cells and another set of specialized cells, called osteoblasts, create new ones. From your teen years into your thirties, your bones produce more cells than they lose, so their density increases. Beginning in your thirties, the production of new cells drops and you risk losing bone density. This makes you vulnerable to fractures, especially of the hip, spine and wrist. Even an action as simple as a sneeze can break the bones of a person with severe osteoporosis. Exercise can help you maintain bone strength, but your body needs certain nutrients to build new bone cells to replace the ones you lose.
Prevention
Building strong bones in your youth through exercise and diet is the best way to prevent osteoporosis, but seniors can still benefit from a bone-strengthening regimen. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, combined with both weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercises. Avoid excessive alcohol and smoking to optimize your bone health. Also, talk to your doctor and get a bone density test when you reach the appropriate age so that you can take the necessary steps, which may include medication or nutritional supplements, to help maintain bone density.
Calcium
Calcium is one of the inorganic salts that provides strength to your bone structure. Adults over the age of 51 need 1,200 mg of calcium per day to maintain bone strength. If you are between the ages of 19 and 50, you need 1,000 mg of calcium in your daily diet. Although calcium is present in dietary sources such as broccoli, beans and almonds, these sources do not provide sufficient levels of the mineral to support adults' needs.
Dairy products are the best source of natural calcium. If you are concerned about fat content, use low fat or non-fat dairy products. If you are lactose intolerant, yogurt may be an option since it contains enzymes that break up lactose. Be careful, however, not to get too much calcium. A daily intake of more than 2,500 mg can interfere with your body's ability to absorb other minerals, the information website Everyday Health warns.
Vitamin D
Your body needs at least 400 IU of vitamin D per day to enable it to absorb calcium. Even if your diet includes the recommended daily allowance of calcium, you are at risk of osteoporosis if you don't get sufficient amounts of vitamin D, according to the nutrition website EveryDiet. Vitamin D is difficult to get from food sources. Saltwater fish, milk and eggs do contain some of this nutrient and you can take Vitamin D supplements, but the best source of this vitamin is 15 minutes per day of sunshine without sunblock.
Other Nutrients
Your body needs certain other vitamins and minerals to enable it to absorb calcium. These include magnesium and vitamins A , K and B6. You also need vitamin C to produce collagen, which gives your bones flexibility. Protein and phosphorous also are important to the production of new bone cells in the turnover process. To ensure that you get all of these nutrients, eat a variety of healthy foods, including dark green vegetables, deep orange vegetables, whole grains, citrus fruits, legumes, dairy products, fish and meat.
