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Dieting and osteoporosis
Women and calcium
Many women try dieting at one time or another in their lives.
However, the number of female dieters suffering osteoporosis caused by diet-induced malnutrition has been on the rise, although the disease used to afflict mainly the elderly.
Ask the expert! What is the relationship between dieting and osteoporosis?
We asked the following questions to Dr. Masae Goseki who is a professor at the Division of Nutrition of Japan Women’s University.
Could you tell us what the dreadful symptoms of osteoporosis are?
About 99% of all calcium in our body is stored in the bones and teeth, with the remaining 1% being used throughout our body, for neurotransmission, regulation of the heart and muscle movement, and blood coagulation. If you become calcium deficient and remain in that state for a long time, it will not only cause osteoporosis but also cause negative effects throughout the body.
If you become osteoporotic, your risk of falling and suffering broken bones or compression fractures will increase, and if that happens, you could become bedridden. Although people usually think it’s mainly a disease among elderly people, young people can get it also, if they diet excessively and become energy and nutrition deficient, causing loss of bone mass. |
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How are bones and female hormones related?
Estrogen, which is the primary female hormone, has the function of promoting bone formation and suppressing calcium dissolution. In animal studies, if animals are depleted of their female hormones to induce calcium deficiency, their bones lose density and become fragile.
Many postmenopausal women suffer from osteoporosis because the amount of estrogen being secreted in their bodies suddenly drops after menopause. In other words, female hormones are protecting their bones from breaking. To avoid osteoporosis later in life, women in their 20s and 30s still secreting large amounts of female hormones are advised to eat the daily recommended calcium intake of 650 mg.
Could you give me specific dietary advice to prevent osteoporosis?
First of all, you need to ingest sufficient calcium constantly. To do so, you should eat proper amounts of foods that are rich in calcium every day, such as milk and other dairy products, small fish, green and yellow vegetables, soy beans, and soy products. It’s also important to take vitamin D together, as it helps with the absorption of calcium. Vitamin D is found particularly in fish (salmon, saury, etc.), and it is also produced in our skin when we get enough sunlight.
There are also certain foods you should stay away from, such as those that have high phosphorus content (processed foods, etc.) or have lots of salt or caffeine, and you should also avoid drinking too much alcohol. To keep your bones healthy, you not only need to get enough calcium but also constantly consume foods that contain appropriate amounts of energy and other nutrients.
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