Chase Down and Milk a Cow for Health – Exercise and Osteoporosis – Claire Stocks
(No cows were harmed in the writing of this article)
Wolff’s Law states that bone is laid down in areas that experience increased stress or load, and reabsorbed where there is not.
The main contributing factor to osteoporosis is age. Because it is inevitable that we will all be experiencing advancing age, it’s time to at least be aware of the processes that our bones are undergoing and put some plans into action.
However- osteoporosis is not something to prepare to deal with when we get to 50. Our bone mass has reached its peak by the time we are 25. Osteoporosis is not a disease that starts when we get old, but should be seen as a dynamic and progressing situation that has started well before many of us are aware of it.
Women start losing bone mass at 35 years old-a little earlier and at a faster rate than men. By the time we reach about 70 the average woman has lost between 30-50% of her bone mass.
Once past the age of 25, we need to work to maintain the level of bone mass that we currently exist with via diet and resistance type exercise which slows/prevents the process of naturally occurring loss of bone mass.
As Wolff’s Law states, if we engage in any physical activity that increases the forces being transmitted through our bones that are larger than the forces that we would regularly deal with during our daily lives, our body will adapt to these extra forces by depositing more bone in these areas. These forces can be as simple as building muscle, as with the increase in muscle size and the forces they create, the mechanical load exerted through the bony skeleton are increased.
Postmenopausal women are at the greatest risk. Oestrogen is an important hormone stimulating bone deposition and formation, and once the production of oestrogen ceases, the rate of reabsorption of bone exceeds that of bone deposition.
Oestrogen secretion is also influenced by body fat- so although physically active, female athletes can have extremely low levels of body fat causing low levels of oestrogen secretion and so are also at risk.
If you have ever been unable to use a limb or body part due to injury then it is likely that your bones have already experienced osteoporosis. Disuse through inactivity, pain or loss of function causes bone strength to deplete as there is not enough forces being placed on the bone to warrant the energy being spent on strengthening it by laying down new bone. However this loss is limited to the body part that is restrained, and once you start using the limb again, the bone will rebuild.
Osteoporosis works on a regional level and effects all the bones in the body. Some bones are more susceptible to breaking than others due to the loads that they still have to try and support in their weakened state. These often involve the vertebrae, the top of the femur (thigh bone) and the wrists.
Bone is a living tissue which plays a large role in production of red blood cells and regulation of mineral levels by storing and releasing them when necessary, and it is important to realize that throughout our whole lives, bone is constantly being broken down, absorbed and redeposited again.
Breakdown or reabsorption of bone is increased when levels of certain minerals like calcium needed by our body for basic cell functions are limited. Calcium is not just used by your bones to make them strong. It is an important substance for many functions-some of which are nerve cell communication, muscle contractions and blood clotting. The reason to increase your calcium intake is because if there is not enough circulating and available for cell functions then your body will turn to its calcium reservoir stored in your bones and start breaking them down in order to get what it needs. Without increasing your calcium intake, your bones are literally being sucked dry and the new bone that is being laid down will not be strong enough to support even your own body weight when sitting down.
Combine foods with high calcium content like dairy, almonds, sardines and salmon with Vitamin D from sensible sunlight exposure to increase your body’s ability to absorb the calcium.
The most important work for you to do is maintaining your current level of bone mass-get to the gym and lift some weights and eat right.
Once your age advances it is understood that bone mass can be maintained but not increased past what has already been set by your age and previous bone health history.