Introduction
Osteoporosis, which is characterized by the lack or loss of bone mass, is one of the most common diseases in old age and affects about one in three women after menopause. However, men can also develop osteoporosis. Accordingly, prevention at a younger age is important in order to actively counteract the likelihood of the disease.
Prophylaxis
There are several measures that can prevent osteoporosis relatively well, but unfortunately it is not possible to completely prevent its development. If it is known that there is an increased risk of osteoporosis developing, it is possible to discuss with a doctor whether prophylaxis with medication can be useful. Otherwise, the prevention of osteoporosis is mainly simply based on a healthy lifestyle.
Balanced diet
A balanced diet is of great importance. First of all, a sufficient supply of calcium and vitamin D is necessary to strengthen the bones. Calcium is found especially in vitamin D and is found in large quantities in fish, eggs and also in dairy products.
It is also important for the formation of this vitamin that the body is exposed to sufficient UV radiation, i.e. sunlight (at least half an hour daily). It is recommended to take up to 1500 mg of calcium per day. Much more is then also not good again.
A similar rule applies to proteins: As has been known for not so long, they are at least as important for healthy and strong bones. That is why you should also consume these sufficiently, but not too much, with your diet.
- Dairy products,
- Nuts,
- Herbs and green vegetables,
- But also in some kinds of mineral water;
Since the bone substance is reduced in osteoporosis, an osteoporosis-oriented or preventive diet naturally focuses primarily on the bone components.
The main component of bones is calcium. The daily requirement for calcium for adults is about 1g. In order to cover this need, various foods with a high calcium content are recommended.
Of course, calcium is first and foremost associated with milk and dairy products such as cheese or quark. These do indeed contain a high proportion of them and also have a favorable calcium-phosphate ratio. This ratio plays an important role especially for the absorption of calcium from food and for bone formation, because too much phosphate inhibits the absorption and removes calcium from the bones.
However, dairy products are not the only good suppliers of this mineral. Green vegetables such as kale, broccoli, fennel and leek are also well suited to cover the daily requirement. A diet that is too one-sided, e.g. only dairy products, should be avoided.
It is better to include balanced proportions of the individual calcium suppliers in your nutritional planning. Phosphate-containing foods, which should only be consumed in small amounts to avoid a poor calcium-phosphate ratio, are mainly ready meals, fast food and lemonades as well as meat extract, yeast and processed cheese. However, phosphate is also not insignificant for the body.
Therefore, one should not completely do without it, but rather make sure that the two nutrients are in a suitable ratio to each other when ingested. The closer this is to the optimum value of 1: 1.0 – 1.2, the better the bone structure works. Other food groups that affect the absorption of calcium in the intestine are foods containing oxalic acid, such as beetroot, chard, spinach or rhubarb, acid-forming drinks, such as coffee or tea, and foods with a high salt content.
Alcohol consumption, smoking and a diet containing too much protein also have a negative effect on bone density. Besides calcium, magnesium is also an important component of bone substance and should therefore be taken in sufficient quantities. Suitable foods for this purpose are e.g. oat flakes, corn, wholemeal bread or noodles.
For a good bone substance, however, not only minerals but also vitamins are crucial. Here above all the vitamin D. On the one hand, this can be taken in with food and is mainly contained in sea fish, but on the other hand it is also formed to a greater extent by the skin itself under sunlight. Sufficient exercise in the fresh air is therefore a good idea for osteoporosis in two ways.On the one hand, movement strengthens the muscles and above them the bones, and on the other hand, sunlight stimulates the formation of vitamin D. However, sufficient sun protection to prevent skin cancer should not be neglected.
Since food contains only a small portion of the Vitamin, the additional income of Vitamin D preparations offers itself with a lack. Proteins are also obtained through the consumption of dairy products. 10 to 15% of the daily energy intake should be based on proteins.
However, if you consume these excessively, the body becomes overly acidic, which ultimately results in increased bone loss. Other nutrients should be avoided if you want to prevent osteoporosis. These include above all phosphate (of course, this also always applies to appropriate amounts, as the body naturally needs phosphate in small amounts!)
Phosphate is found especially in A high consumption of common salt (or other sodium sources) causes more calcium to be excreted through the kidneys, which therefore has a negative effect on bone metabolism. It is best to use table salt with fluoride and also make sure that the sodium content of the mineral water is low. Oxalate (which can be found for example in spinach, rhubarb and cocoa) reduces the absorption of calcium in the intestines.
- Meat and sausage products,
- Grain,
- Soft drinks (especially in cola drinks),
- Processed cheese and as an additive (recognizable on food packaging by the designations E 338-341 and E 450).
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