If you have been diagnosed with osteopenia, your health care provider likely prescribed a calcium supplement. But ingesting calcium alone may not be sufficient to stave off osteopenia and its more serious cousin, osteoporosis. Proactive strategies begun early on can halt and reverse the degenerative progression of this bone-eroding condition.
Osteopenia Definition and Causes
An important function of your bones is to serve as a storehouse for minerals, particularly calcium and phosphorous, and the sum accumulation of those minerals is known as your bone mineral density. According to the University of Michigan Health System, osteopenia is a term used for bone mineral density that is lower than average. If you have osteopenia, you may be at risk for osteoporosis, a condition marked by fragile bones that are at high risk for fracture. Adverse lifestyle habits like poor nutrition, smoking and physical inactivity between ages 20 to 35, when bone density reaches its peak, can contribute to osteopenia and osteoporosis later in life.
Factors Influencing Bone Calcium Stores
Women in particular are at risk for osteopenia during menopause when the production of estrogen, which plays a vital role in bone calcium absorption, drops dramatically. Even young female athletes and dancers can get osteoporosis as a consequence of disordered eating and overtraining that leads to estrogen depletion. Your body relies on calcium for many vital metabolic functions like muscular contraction, nerve messaging, blood clotting, hormone production and heart function. When dietary supplies of calcium are low, your body draws on bone mineral stores to satisfy metabolic demand.
Vitamin D and Calcium Absorption
Vitamin D plays an important role in the absorption and transport of calcium in the body. Even if dietary and supplemental calcium is adequate, deficiency of vitamin D can keep it from being absorbed by the bones. A 2003 study published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" of 187 newly postmenopausal women found that a daily supplementation of vitamin D2 maintained or increased the subjects' bone mineral density more efficiently than calcium supplements alone. Your body manufactures vitamin D2 naturally when bare skin is exposed to natural sunlight.
Weight-Bearing Exercise and Bone Density
Just as eating large amounts of protein without exercising will not build strong muscles, taking large doses of calcium without weight-bearing exercise will not build strong bones. Bone is living tissue and, like muscle, it responds to overload by growing denser and stronger. Good nutrition that includes ample amounts of calcium and vitamin D coupled with weight-bearing exercise will promote healthy bone mineral density. The Mayo Clinic recommends resistance training and impact-producing aerobic activities like walking, jogging and dancing as good choices to improve bone mineral density.
References
- Colorado State University: Absorption of Minerals and Metals
- MayoClinic.com: Osteoporosis: Prevention
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Vitamin D Supplementation and Bone Mineral Density in Early Postmenopausal Women; Lucy Cooper, et. al.; May 2003
- University of Michigan Health System: Osteoporosis in Women
- MedlinePlus: Calcium in Diet
- American College of Sports Medicine Public Information Brochure: Female Athlete Triad
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