6 Rules For Nutrition Against Osteoporosis (Part I)

Osteoporosis is a disease that affects bone density . Reduced density affects their strength and leads to a tendency to fractures . Although women are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis, men are also uninsured and develop the disease.


Osteoporosis becomes especially dangerous in menopausal women, when hormonal changes create conditions for bone loss. As a result of the disease in women over 50 years of age, a high incidence of fatal thinning and fractures of the femoral neck is reported.


Bone density is due to the filling of the bone matrix with mineral salts, which gives them strength. Bone, like other tissues in the body, is "alive", loses cells, restores them, ie. renews or falls victim to deficiencies in the body.


The process of bone regeneration takes place due to the opposite action of two types of cells - osteoclasts and osteoblasts.


As the body develops until the age of 20, the action of osteoblasts predominates. They are responsible for building bones - their growth, compaction and strength. The balance between the activity of osteoclasts and osteoblasts ensures the maintenance of bone strength and stability for the next 20 years. With age, the growth of osteoblasts stops. Osteoclasts are gaining the upper hand, and the mechanisms of degradation are beginning to predominateof bone tissue.


Consuming enough calcium does not exhaust the diet with which we can counteract the loss of bone density , as there are many factors in the absorption of food that affect in one way or another the process of its maintenance. rules in nutrition against osteoporosis from the book by Florence Pique "Diet to combat osteoporosis  . "
 

1. Less acidic foods

With the predominance of meat, pasta and salt consumption, the alkaline-acid balance in the body is disturbed. The body is constantly striving to maintain this balance. However, the constant predominance of acidic foods forces him to reach for the mineral salts that build bones. In the long run, this has a detrimental effect on their strength ... 

When digesting foods such as meat, cereals, fish, dairy products, acidic substances are released, which is why they are defined as acidifying the body. Whether a product is acidifying or cannot be determined by its taste - bread is not sour in taste, but is an acidifying food for the body, says Florence Pique. 

Fruits and vegetables have an alkalizing effect , even when they are sour, the author emphasizes. 

Adherence to a slightly alkaline diet and avoid acidifying foods prevents the body from falling into acidosis - an acidic reaction of body fluids - and prevents its compensatory activity to ensure alkaline-acid balance. This can be prevented by choosing the right foods, which will prevent her from losing too much bone density. 

2. More fruits and vegetables at each meal, plus nuts

By including fruits and vegetables in every meal, we consciously oppose the action of acidifying foods. However, their beneficial effects on bone health do not end there. They are rich in polyphenols and other antioxidants that eliminate the harmful effects of oxidative stress and inflammatory processes, which also cause bones to lose more calcium than they can fix.

Quercentin is a polyphenol that inhibits the destructive activity of osteoclasts. Quercentin is abundant in onions and lettuce. The pigments in brightly colored fruits and vegetables are also active against osteoporosis.

The other valuable substances are:

• Vitamin C - necessary for the synthesis of collagen, which is the basic component of the protein matrix of bones;

• Vitamin E - secures cell membranes and prevents the oxidation of essential fatty acids, which counteracts the loss of bone density. Nuts are rich in vitamins.

• Phytoestrogens - their action is similar to female sex hormones, and it is known that the decline in estrogen in menopausal women is one of the significant factors in the accelerated reduction of bone density.
   

3. Less salt

Why and how will salt restriction help bone health? In fact, this fact alone is enough - salt facilitates the excretion of calcium in the urine. This leads to a negative calcium balance, which cannot be compensated by the nutrition and absorption of calcium from the intestines ...