Nutrition and osteoporosis: What you need to know

1.1. Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is also known as brittle bones or spongy bones. This is a condition in which the patient's bones are continuously thinning and the density of the substance is also increasingly sparse. This makes the bones more brittle, vulnerable to injury and broken by minor trauma. The main cause of fractures in postmenopausal women and the elderly, some bones may not even heal, especially the hip.
Osteoporosis is a silent disease, common signs are weight loss and back pain, and is only discovered when a bone is broken. Many people believe that osteoporosis is natural and inevitable in old age. However, medical experts believe the disease is preventable. Moreover, people with osteoporosis can still prevent or slow the progression of the disease, as well as reduce the risk of fractures by developing a diet when osteoporosis and combining it with prescribed medications.

1.2. Nutrition The most important nutrients for people with osteoporosis are calcium and vitamin D. Calcium is an important element for building bones. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium better. The amount of calcium you need depends in part on your age and gender.
For calcium:
Children from 1 to 3 years old should add about 700 milligrams of calcium per day; Children 4 - 8 years old need to get about 1,000 milligrams per day; Children over 9 years of age and adolescents should get 1,300 milligrams of calcium per day; Women over 51 and men over 71 need about 1,200 milligrams per day. All adults in the remaining target group should get 1,000 milligrams per day. For vitamin D:
People aged 1 - 70 years need to get 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day; People over 70 should get about 800 IU per day. Some osteoporosis experts recommend 800 to 1,200 IU of vitamin D per day.

To know for sure how much vitamin D you need, you can order a blood test for the vitamin (25-hydroxy vitamin D) at the hospital. This test measures how much vitamin D is present in your body. Experts say that vitamin D not only enhances the body's ability to absorb calcium, but also protects you from the risk of osteoporosis.

To increase bone strength, flexibility and prevent osteoporosis, you can get calcium and vitamin D from your diet or take a supplement, even a combination of the two. But in general, getting nutrients from food is often better than taking supplements.
The main cause is related to memorization and habit. You may not be used to taking a pill every day, but everyone certainly eats food every day. Besides, food is also a complete source of nutrients, richer than supplements. So what do people with osteoporosis eat?
Milk, yogurt, cheese and other dairy products are not only high in calcium, but also packed with many other important nutrients for bone health, such as phosphorus and protein. When reading nutrition labels, choose foods and beverages that give you at least 10% of your daily calcium needs.
In people who are lactose intolerant or avoid dairy for other reasons, there are many other nutritious food options available, including:
Orange juice, plant-based milk (such as soy milk, almond milk) kernels) and calcium-fortified cereals; Green leafy vegetables, such as: Kale, broccoli and spinach; Seafood, such as: Canned salmon, oysters, ocean perch, clams, crabs and shrimp.

For vitamin D, you can find items fortified with this nutrient, such as:
Some orange juices; Breakfast cereals; Milk of plant origin; Fish, such as: Salmon, tuna and sardines. Some suggested dishes on the list of what to eat for osteoporosis can be mentioned such as: Tofu soup with shrimp and ribs stewed, clams / clams steamed with chicken eggs, fried shrimp with shallots,... Also note not Give too much protein and reduce salt in your diet when you have osteoporosis. Instead, add vitamins and minerals (in vegetables), magnesium (in nuts), flanovol (in tea) and isoflavones (in soybeans).

If you cannot get enough calcium and vitamin D from your diet, consult your doctor about taking a supplement.
Calcium supplements come in many varieties, including calcium citrate or calcium carbonate. Because all forms of calcium are absorbed equally, it doesn't matter which one you take as much as how you take it. No matter which medication you choose, your body can only absorb up to 500 milligrams of calcium at a time. So you may need to take the supplement several times a day depending on your needs.
Should take small doses of calcium carbonate in the morning or lunch with a lot of water, avoid taking in the evening because it can increase the risk of calcium deposition in the kidneys and cause kidney stones. If you're taking calcium citrate instead, you don't need to take it with food.

Most of these supplements are also combined in a vitamin D tablet. You can get both nutrients in one pill. Or you just need to take extra calcium, and 15 minutes of direct sunlight several times a week is enough to get the required amount of vitamin D.
Osteoporosis is completely preventable by following a complete nutritional menu, from infancy to adulthood and throughout life. Especially the elderly should be given enough nutrients every day according to the correct nutritional regimen when they have osteoporosis. Thereby ensuring the body's high need for vitamin D and calcium, maintaining bone health, and supporting effective prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.
Diet plays a very effective role in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Therefore, ensuring nutrition for people with musculoskeletal diseases in general and people with osteoporosis in particular is very important.
In order to improve service quality, in addition to bringing a system of modern and standard medical machines into medical examination and treatment, Vinmec International General Hospital also offers many accompanying musculoskeletal examination packages, here are perfect medical services that bring many conveniences to customers.
Especially with a team of experienced and qualified medical doctors ready to examine, treat and give the best advice on how to prevent and treat osteoporosis effectively. Customers can rest assured and choose the examination service at Vinmec.
Customers can directly go to Vinmec Health system nationwide to visit or contact the hotline here for support.
Reference source: webmd.com