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How does what I eat affect my bones?

Eating a healthy balanced diet is important for building or maintaining bone mass, as the remodeling process requires numerous key nutrients. Failure to consume sufficient amounts of these nutrients, notes a 2006 study published in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, increases your risk for bone mass loss and subsequent osteoporosis. Nutrients important to bone include calcium, protein, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin D and potassium. Other vitamins and minerals required for bone-related metabolic processes include vitamins A,C,K and B, manganese, copper, boron, iron and zinc.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation suggests consuming the following bone supportive foods; milk, yogourt, cheese, sardines and salmon, fatty fish (salmon, tuna), collard greens, mustard greens, plantains, broccoli, kale and spinach to help you build or preserve bone mass as you age. Older individuals have less efficient absorption and can therefore benefit from calcium and vitamin D supplements both of which have been shown to reduce bone loss. Your chiropractor can counsel you further on other strategies such as the best exercises to preserve or build bone density and treatment to keep you moving well.

Your bones form the framework of your body. Bone is living tissue and is in a constant state of change-a process known as remodeling in which your bone tissue is perpetually resorbed and replaced. This remodeling process is affected by the forces of gravity, the pull of your muscles on your skeleton, your nutritional status and other circumstances. Though remodeling occurs throughout your lifetime, your skeleton experiences the most rapid increases in bone density and strength during childhood. Therefore it is essential that young people have proper nutrition and exercise to maximize their bone density development.