| Brittle Bones Don't Bounce | 29 July 2004 | |||
We already know that breast milk is best for newborn babies for a whole list of reasons. It's clean and convenient, and provides that beneficial boost to the developing immune system.
Now is seems there's another reasons to favour the breast over the bottle. This time the benefit is for the mother rather than the child. Results from a study in the U.S and published recently in the journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine show that contrary to what was thought to be the case, lactation can actually improve bone mineral density. And stronger bones mean fewer fractures.
This message is self evident; but one which we need a not-so-gentle reminder about from time to time. So healthy bones week, August 8-14, provides us with some important information if we want to keep bouncing around as we get older.
Not everyone has the luxury of being able to breastfeed; and even those of us who can, or who did, need to take some extra precautions to minimise the risk of broken bones later in life.
A diet rich in calcium is essential - we all need about 1200-1500mg/day. Dairy foods are the best source, but try the low-fat variety if cholesterol levels are a problem.
Another nutrient, often ignored, which is also necessary for health bones, is vitamin D. In last week's issue of the medical magazine Australian Doctor Dr Terri Foran highlights the role of vitamin D in maintaining general health and particularly in preventing osteoporosis - that is: brittle bones.
We have known for many years that vitamin D increases the absorption of calcium and phosphate and that it promotes so-called bone mineralisation.
According to Dr Foran, it's likely that the effects of vitamin D go well beyond its effect on bone. The lack of vitamin D can cause muscle weakness and pain. This can make it difficult to get up from a sitting position. It may also result in excessive body sway and thus increase the tendency to fall.
Vitamin D and/or Calcium are available as supplements, but the best source of vitamin D is sunlight. Ultraviolet B light triggers the production of vitamin D; so a little ray of sunshine can have both emotional and physical benefits - not a lot of sun, just some sunlight in moderation and for medicinal purposes only.
Maybe when we're young, falling over doesn't present too much of a problem; but in our more mature years, falling over is not much fun and its not just broken bones that are a cause for concern. Head injuries, chest and ribcage injuries, abdominal injuries and soft-tissue injuries are also common after a fall.
Falls have often become a major health and financial burden on our ageing community. The facts are that each year in Australia 1000 elderly people die as a result of falls and almost 50,000 others are hospitalised.
If you want some information on how to reduce the risk of falling, or to prevent the possibility of osteoporosis, you can get some good advice by selecting one of the fact cards from pharmacies around Australia providing the Pharmaceutical Society's Self Care health information.
Topics covered include Osteoporosis, Preventing Falls, and Vitamins. These cards are among 80 in the Self Care series available from Castletown Chemist. Also see our range of health information at our web page.