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Facts & Tips
•Calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and vitamin D are all good for the strength of your bones ad well as a healthy heart and healthy body.
•Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become weak or brittle and susceptible to breaking.
•People with osteoporosis break bones in the hips, wrist and spine most often.
•It is estimated that some 10 million people in the US have osteoporosis with millions more experiencing low bone mass, making them at high risk for developing osteoporosis.
•85% of those with osteoporosis are women, typically over the age of 50, especially after menopause.
•Risk factors you cannot change include: females, Caucasian, Hispanic and Asian ethnicity, being small & thin, a family history and age. Hispanic women are rapidly becoming the group of women at greatest risk.
•Preventable risk factors include: low estrogen in women, low testosterone in men, inadequate bio-absorbable calcium and Vitamin D, history of anorexia, medications known to deplete calcium levels, lack of exercise, smoking and alcohol consumption.
•Acidic blood pH puts a person at greater risk for osteoporosis as calcium is leached from bones to alkalize the acidic buildup.
•Milk and dairy products that have been homogenized and pasteurized are not good sources of calcium to prevent osteoporosis. Processed milk makes calcium less bio-available to the body and coats the stomach and intestines with mucus, making the calcium that is bio-available less absorbable.
•Exercise increase bone density and strength.
•A bone mineral density test (DXA) is performed to measure bone density to determine osteoporosis or risk.
•Building strong bones in adolescence may help prevent osteoporosis later in life as up to 90% of bone density is acquired prior to age 18.
•Weight-bearing exercises develop bone strength and density faster than muscle building exercises. Both are recommended.
•Osteoporosis related fractures are estimated to have cost in excess of 19 billion in 2005. By 2025 that figure is expected to exceed 25 billion.
•Excessive sodium, caffeine, sugar and protein intake can lead to lower bone density putting the person at greater risk of osteoporosis.
•Almost 24% of hip fracture patients over 50 years old die in the 1st year following their fracture.
•20% of patients able to move about freely before a osteoporosis related hip fracture require long-term care afterward. Only 15% of all patients can walk across the room without aid 6 months after the hip fracture.
•Medicare reimburses the cost of a BMD test - Bone Mineral Density - every two years. An increase of testing has shown a positive affect, with fewer bone fractures as a result.
•If you do not get enough calcium and Vitamin D from your diet, it is important to supplement. If you get regular exposure to natural sunlight your body will produce all the vitamin D you need. You also need magnesium and phosphorous to build healthy bones.
•Just a tablespoon of angstrom-sized liquid calcium minerals will provide more bio-available calcium to your cells than a 1000 mg chelated calcium supplement tablet or capsule.
•Coral calcium is not bio-absorbable by the body.
•If you are a woman over 50 you should see your doctor to have a bone mineral density test to determine your risks for osteoporosis.
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