Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Nutrition for Your Bone Health

I recently attended the National Osteoporosis Webinar, "Nutrition for Your Bone Health." There was a lot of good information! Here are some notes I took:

Go Lean with Protein
-RDA (recommended daily allowance) 5oz for women, 5.5oz for men
-1 serving is about the size of a deck of cards (3oz)
-High amounts of saturated fat may lower bone density
-Avoid high protein diets
-Dairy is a good source of protein
-Children need protein for skeletal growth
-Elderly are at risk for not getting enough protein

Focus on fruits and veggies-RDA 2 cups vegetable, 1.5 cups fruit
-Rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants-May reduce calcium loss
-Better to eat foods than
take supplements

Get Your Calcium Rich Food
-Adults under age 50 - RDA 1000mg calcium
-Age 50 and older - RDA 1200 mg
-More is not better!
-Getting your calcium needs to be a combination of food and supplements
-Only take supplements if you're not getting enough from food
-Chose low fat, fat free-Calcium from non-dairy:
figs, green leafy vegetables, nuts, almonds, juices with added calcium - check labels!
-Read labels!
-Add it up

Vitamin D
-Helps the body absorb calcium
-Helps maintain bone health in adulthood
-Improves muscle strength to prevent falls
-Vitamin D deficiency is common
-Age under 50 --> RDA 400 - 800iu (international units) daily
-Over 50 --> 800 -1000iu daily
-May need supplements
-Avail in 2 supplements รข†’ Vitamin D2 and D3

Other Vitamins and Minerals
-Vitamin K and B Vitamins, Magnesium, Potassium, Vitamin C
-Too much Vitamin A can harm the skeleton

Vitamin K
-RDA 90-120 micrograms (mcg)
-Kale, brussels spouts, spinach, mustard greens, vegetable oils
-K1 and K2
-More research is necessary
-Until then, get enough from food rather than supplements

Vitamin B
-B6 RDA 400mg
-B12 RDA 1.2 - 1.7mg
-Folate RDA 2.4mcg
-Fortified cereals, poultry, meat, potatoes, bananas, beans, lentils, whole unprocessed grains
-Older adults may require Vitamin B supplements

Magnesium
-RDA 320mg for women, 420mg for men
-Vegetables, nuts, seeds, fish, dairy
-People with alcoholism, type I diabetes, and
elderly with poor diets may be deficient
-More research is needed

Vitamin C
-RDA 75mg for women, 90mg for men
-Important for collagen
-Citrus fruits, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and green leafy vegetables
-Smokers and those going through menopause may need more
-Supplements are not recommended

Potassium-RDA 4700mg
-75% of Americans do no
t meet the RDA
-Dairy, tomatoes, raisins, potatoes, soy, spinach, sweet potatoes, papaya, oranges, bananas, and nuts
-Food sources are better than supplements

Vitamin A
-Retinol (Vitamin A from animal sources) can harm bones
-Avoid cod liver oil and fish products that contain high amounts of vitamin A (retinol)
-Select sources that contain no more than 2000iu of
retinol
-Body converts beta carotene from fruits vegetables

Sodium-If intake is too much, excess is lost in urine
-Less than 2400mg won't harm bones
-High intakes may not be a problem for people who get enough calcium
-Avoid processed foods, canned foods, and the salt shaker

Oxalates
-Occur naturally in food
-Body doesn't absorb calcium from foods that are high in oxalates
-Spinach, rhubarb, beet greens
-Eat them, but don't count the calcium in these foods

Phytates
-Naturally occurring in foods-Body wont absorb calcium from foods high in phytates
-Soak beans to reduce the amount of phytates
-100% wheat bran
-Take calcium supplements at a different time and realize you may not absorb calcium in foods eaten and the same time (i.e. Eating bran flakes in milk, calcium fortified orange juice, etc AND taking a supplement is ineffective because the body can only absorb 500 - 600mg at a time (the rest will be excreted in urine)
-DO eat fiber rich foods
Coffee and Tea
-Decreases calcium absorption
-More than 3 cups of caffeinated coffee daily is not good
-Add milk to these drinks
-Soda - cola (not others) causes a higher calcium loss
-Drink milk and juice
Alcohol
-Heavy drinking can lead to bone loss
-Heave drinkers usually don't get most other nutrients because alcohol calories tend to replace other food choices (calories)
-Consume less than 2 drinks a day

Calcium Supplements-Take with meals-Body can absorb 500-600
mg at a time
-Too much will be lost in urine
-For people who take PPIS for acid reflux, calcium citrate is more effective than calcium carbonate
Strontium-Mineral in prescription strontium ranelate is available in Europe and not the USA
-Available as a supplement in the USA
-Supplements differ from prescriptions
-Not enough data to support safety and effectiveness of strontium supplements to reduce the risk of broken bones

Phytoestrogens
-Natural plant substance
-Occurs in soy and soy isoflavones
-Genestein is a soy isoflavone included in some brands of bone health supplements and products
-More research is needed

How to choose
-Get information from reliable sources
-USP label is important
-Avoid health frauds-Beware of non-FDA approved products that claim to cure and reverse bone loss and osteoporosis
-If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is

Other
-Just because it is natural doesn't mean its safe and effective
Testing is not required on most "natural" products
Amount of ingredients are not required to be on the label
Many have limited data
Not monitored like medicine
-Take supplements only if you can't get enough nutrients from food
-Too much calcium from supplements is harmful
-Vitamin D supplements may be recommended to get the RDA
-Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if a product claims to treat or cure osteoporosis BEFORE taking it
-MOST FOODS WILL PROVIDE ENOUGH NUTRIENTS!

National Institute of Health (NIH)
888-644-6226

Coments-Eat a diet of nutrient rich forms of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy
-Get adequate protein every day using lean sources
-Calcium and vitamin supplements may be needed to meet requirements
-Safety and effectiveness of other supplements are unknown
These products can't replace the need for an FDA approved medicine to treat osteoporosis and reduce the risk of broken bones in the right people

Q&A
How is too much calcium is harmful?
-More than 2500mg - incidence of kidney stones increases
-Relates to oxalates in diet
-May be cardiac outcomes

Are decaf coffee and tea ok?
- Won't have same effect of loss
-But too much might replace other drinks like milk and juice

Which vitamin D supplement is better?
-Recent studies show no difference between D2 and D3

Is topical retinol dangerous?
-Don't know - not enough study and research

Is the 500-600mg of calcium limit from foods as well as supplements?
-All - both food and supplements

I have heard you are supposed to limit milk to 1-2 servings a day and get the rest of calcium from other sources. Is this true?
-Nope!

Does chocolate inhibit calcium absorption?
-Might slightly reduce calcium absorption (i.e. if you add chocolate to milk)
-Dark chocolate contains lots of antioxidants

Monday, June 21, 2010

The National Osteoporosis Foundation is hosting a FREE webinar! "Nutrition for Your Bone Health" To register: http://ping.fm/wYvLe

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Synergy Studio is now on Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger!!!!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Hello!

Welcome to Synergy Studio's new blog. Stay up to date with what is going on at Synergy Studio in Jacksonville, FL! Please bookmark us and check back for more updates!