Bone tissue is a mighty knitting machine that shapes and grows your skeleton from gestation to the grave. Bones are designed to heal themselves when broken, but occasionally bone fractures fail to heal completely. When this happens, doctors may use bone grafts to help jumpstart the healing process. Adequate nutrition is an essential component in the healing of bone injuries.
Sources for Bone Grafts
According to Medline Plus, bone grafts are used to repair broken or fractured bones that have bone loss. Bone grafts are also used to repair injured bones that fail to heal, and to fuse joints in order to prevent movement. There are two major sources for bone grafts: your own bone called an autograft -- or frozen, donated bone called an allograft. Sometimes manmade or synthetic bone is used. An advantage of autografts is that they provide fresh cells for the healing process. The use of bone marrow autografts has been pioneered at the Cleveland Clinic.
Nutrition
Adequate blood supply for delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the graft site is a critical factor for the successful healing of bone grafts. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, or AAOS, "Protein, calcium, vitamin C and vitamin D are absolutely essential to heal broken bones." The AAOS further states dietary supplements that exceed the daily requirements are not effective.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is essential for the formation of collagen or connective tissue in blood vessels, bones, cartilage and muscle. Vitamin C also plays an important role in the absorption of iron. Fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps your body absorb calcium which is a major component of bone that contributes to its strength. The two types of vitamin D relevant to humans are ergocalciferol or vitamin D2 and cholecalciferol or vitamin D3. Vitamin D2 is made by plants and D3 is made by your skin when it is exposed to ultraviolet B or UVB rays in sunlight. Fish, eggs, cod liver oil and fortified milk are rich in vitamin D. Foods that are fortified with vitamin D can contain either vitamin D2 or D3.
Dosages
The Food and Nutrition Board recommends 90 mg of vitamin C daily for men over the age of 18. For women over the age of 18, the recommended dose is 75 mg per day. And 85 mg per day is recommended for pregnant women over the age of 18 -- and for lactating women over the age of 18 the recommended dose is 120 mg per day. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences recommends 200 IU of vitamin D for all people under the age of 50, and 400 IU for all people between the ages of 50 to 70. For people over the age of 70, 600 IU is suggested. If you have a bone fracture or bone graft, your healthcare provider will help you plan a diet with vitamin content that is most appropriate for your age and health status.
