So I did a Q and A not too long ago on this
And ended up having some great questions on this.
That is bone health and osteoporosis.
Here is a quick summary:
→ Osteoporotic fractures Costs £4 billion per annum in the UK
→ Decline in bone mass happens from 34 and is accelerated by menopause / loss of estrogen
.
→ 1 in 2 women will get an osteoporotic fracture whereas just 1 in 5 men will get one
→ 10% of those who have a hip fracture die within 1 month, 33% die within a year
^^ read that again
And it is a reminder that it will be hard ANYWAY..
Doing resistance exercise to improve bone density is HARD…
But an increased risk of fractures from not doing it is also HARD (probably harder)…
Now, between the ages of 20-30 years we achieve peak bone mass..
This is something that right now we cannot do much about…
(In case you thought I was below 30 ;-))
The Good NEWS?…
you can impact what happens NOW..
Osteopenia happens first –a bit like prediabetes is to Type 2 diabetes.
You can slow or reverse this process by:
1→ Resistance exercising → This helps bone density and has been shown to lower your risks of falls and fractures. Just like muscle, use it or lose it.
2→ Calcium and Vitamin D → Research in Care homes shows that upping dairy portions is protective against falls and fractures
3→ Vitamin K2 → Seems to be protective for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women BUT NOT MEN. Interesting
4→ Eating meat? Controversial with much of what the media are saying right now, but data is data.
A 2020 Study (the EPIC Oxford Study) compared meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians, and vegans for fractures.
They show that for every 1000 people, there are 14.9 more fractures in people following a vegan diet than a meat diet, for every 1000 people there are 2.9 more fractures in fish eaters or vegetarian diets.
5→ Phytoestrogens → found in soy, for example, may be protective
Hope this helps
Eat your protein, get your calcium, vitamin D, resistance exercise and control what you can (not what you wish you can).
But as ever
It all comes from taking action
Even if you are not sure it will ‘work for you’..
And even if you are nervous…
Something we can help with in our January 28 Day Kickstart (message me with ‘Kickstart’ for more info).
Matt