Osteoporosis, a term that literally means porous bone, is a condition where your bones gradually thin and lose mass, making you more susceptible to fractures, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons states. This disease very often develops unnoticed over many years, and people who have it feel no symptoms and suffer no discomfort until a fracture occurs. Osteoporosis is often the cause of a person losing height as he ages and forming a severely rounded upper back called a dowager's hump.
Milk as a Source of Calcium
One way of reducing your risk of developing osteoporosis is to regularly include an adequate amount of calcium in your diet. Milk is a good source of dietary calcium and is frequently fortified with vitamin D, which is essential to your body's ability to use calcium efficiently. Milk is also a good source of phosphorus and magnesium, both of which help your body more effectively absorb and use calcium. Choosing low-fat or skimmed milk actually increases the amount of calcium you consume per cup.
Pasteurized Milk and Osteoporosis
Opponents of pasteurization, which is the process of exposing milk to high temperatures, have claimed there is a link between osteoporosis and pasteurized milk. The theory is that the high temperatures decrease the mineral and nutritional content of the milk. However, no scientific evidence has been found to substantiate this allegation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration states. Neither the concentration of calcium nor how easily it is absorbed by the body is affected by pasteurization, according to an article in the August 2006 issue of the "Journal of Food Science." Milk that has been exposed to high temperatures will still provide you with calcium and other minerals. Pasteurized milk does not cause osteoporosis.
Causes of Osteoporosis
The exact causes of osteoporosis are not yet well understood, but scientists who study the condition know it involves the disruption of the bone remodeling process. Your bones are constantly changing as your body continuously breaks down and reabsorbs old bone, a process referred to as resorption, and builds new bone. Your body makes new bone faster than it breaks down old bone when you are young, and you reach the peak of your bone mass at around age 30. After that, your body still remodels bone, but you lose slightly more than you gain. The more bone mass your body builds up when you are young, the less likely you are to develop osteoporosis as you age, MayoClinic.com states.
Risk Factors
Certain physical characteristics increase your risk of developing osteoporosis. If you are over 65 years old, you are at particular risk. You are also at a greater risk if you are female because menopause makes you lose bone more rapidly than males. If you have a family history of osteoporosis, a history of fractures occurring on your mother's side or a personal history of bone fractures as an adult after age 50, your risk for getting osteoporosis is increased. Your risk is also high if you are a white or Asian female or if you are a male with testosterone deficiency. Women who are small-boned and who weigh less than 127 lbs. are especially at risk, Spine-health.com reports.
References
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; Osteoporosis; April 2007
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Raw Milk Misconceptions and the Danger of Raw Milk Consumption; April 2011
- MayoClinic.com; Osteoporosis; November 2010
- Spine-health.com; Physical and Lifestyle Risk Factors for Osteoporosis; Scott Boden, M.D.; August 2006
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Calcium in Diet
- "Journal of Food Science"; Bioavailability of Calcium in Heat-Processed Milk; C.E. Weeks, et al.; August 2006
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