Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and between birth and puberty a child’s bone structure increases 7-fold. About 11% of men and 27% of women aged 60+ have osteoporosis with the lifetime risk of having an osteoporotic fracture after 50 years of age is 42% for women and 26% for men. There are 20,000 hip fractures in Australia every single year. Risk factors for osteoporosis include family history, being female smoking, lack of exercise and depression.
Osteoporosis is a silent disease and the first sign is usually a fracture. Ensuring the right nutrition is vital here. Did you know that:
- One cup of coffee takes 40mg of calcium from bones?
- Soft drinks are high in phosphorous which binds to calcium making it unavailable for use
- Sugar decreases calcium absorption
- Salt increase calcium excretion. For each 6grams of salt, 24-40mg of calcium is excreted into the urine
- Alcohol inhibits dietary calcium absorption
Alkaline diets, which are rich in fruits, vegetables, pulses and legumes, are associated with good bone health. The role of vitamin D in bone health is critical as it increases bone mineral density. Australia has a widespread vitamin D deficiency and research shows that the lower your vitamin D, the higher your risk for osteoporosis.
What do I need to do?
Every day you need to consume 1200mg calcium and 800 IU of vitamin D. In combination with a calcium rich diet, you need to be doing weight bearing exercise. Choose from the list of calcium rich foods below and eat them on a regular basis.
The values are per 100gr:
Unhulled sesame seeds (think tahini) 1160
Parmesan 1091
Sardines 550
Linseeds 271
Parsley 260
Dried figs 260
Almonds 250
Yoghurt 195
Watercress 190
Brazil nuts 180
Rocket/spinach 175
Broccoli 125
Lemons 110
Rhubarb 93
Chickpeas & kidney beans 73
Lentils 50
