Bone Nutrition Archives - Page 17 of 19 - Better Bones, Better Body
Questions? Text 1-315-595-5564

Archive for category: Bone Nutrition

You are here: Home / Bone Nutrition
Better Bones Blog
Dr. Susan E. Brown

Quick, bone-building breakfast ideas

/0 Comments/in /by

I was amazed to read recently about a major cereal company struggling to develop new, more convenient (and profitable) breakfast products. That must mean sitting down with a box of cold cereal and milk in the morning has become too time-consuming for many Americans!

Cup of tea

I’m all for rethinking breakfast choices, but to be honest, I don’t have high hopes that the big brands are going to come up with options that are full of bone-building, alkalizing nutrients and low in white sugar, refined grains or any of the multitudes of artificial flavors and colors.

So if you are time-crunched in the morning, try one of my own ideas for quick, healthy breakfast options:

• Replace coffee and sodas with alkalizing beverages such as lemon water, ginger tea, herbal coffee substitute, herbal tea, fresh vegetable juice or miso broth

• A hearty bean, vegetable or meat soup from the night before

• A grapefruit topped with a bit of honey, sprinkled with cinnamon with 6-8 walnuts

• Rice cakes or crackers with almond butter and a piece of fruit

• Fruit smoothies — a handful of bok choy added to a blueberry smoothie won’t change the color or taste, and will boost your intake of calcium-rich leafy greens

• Leftovers — my coworker often starts her day with spicy lentil stir fry

More delicious and convenient breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack options are included in the 30-day meal plan as part of my Better Bones Package. If the cereal companies are listening, they are welcome to use my ideas!

 

Better Bones Blog
Dr. Susan E. Brown

An easy way to calculate serving sizes is at hand

/0 Comments/in /by

I’m thoroughly enjoying many high tech gadgets like my new iPad, my iPhone golf app that tell me how far it is to the hole and my workout-shortening vibration platform.

But, just because I like technology, it doesn’t mean I want to have dinner with it. At a restaurant recently, when a friend pulled out her smart phone to show me her portion calculation app, I just had to tell her there’s a much simpler way to measure what you’re eating.

Use your hand!

It’s an easy and convenient way to understand portion sizes when they’re listed for you as ounces, teaspoons or cups:

Your thumb = 1 oz

Your palm = 3-4 oz

Your closed fist = 1 cup

Your thumb tip = 1 tsp

A handful = 1-2 oz of snack foods

Knowing portion sizes is an important tool to help you keep track of how much good, whole food you’re getting, and it gives you more control when managing foods you would like to limit. According to research, the bigger the portion sizes people are given, the more they eat — especially with pre-packaged snacks or fast food that don’t have much nutritional value.

Another reason I like using your hand for portion control? You can use it any time – while taking a break from a sport, on a plane, or any other time you might be on the go without being “connected.” And – your hand doesn’t require a data plan!

 

Reference:

Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity. Research to Practice Series No. 2: Portion Size. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006. (accessed 05.02.12)

 

Better Bones Blog
Dr. Susan E. Brown

Breaking news on natural vitamin K2 MK-7

/0 Comments/in /by

You can say you heard it here first: a brand new double-blind, placebo-controlled study confirms that natural vitamin K2 in the form of natural MK-7 builds bone strength, helps prevent osteoporosis, and protects the heart.

Noted vitamin K expert Dr. Cees Vermeer led the European study which found that natural vitamin K2 as MK-7 (MenaQ 7 ®) significantly increases the strength of both the spine and the hip in postmenopausal women. The study also verified earlier findings about the cardiovascular benefits of this nutrient. Specifically, the use of MK-7 results in improvements in vascular elasticity and a decrease in age-related stiffening of the arteries.

The dose used in this trial was 180 mcg of natural vitamin K2 as MK-7, which is the level commonly found in Japanese diets. The trial lasted for 3 years, with relevant improvement in the hip neck area being apparent after 2-3 years. This explains why previous, shorter studies have not typically shown MK-7 benefits on bone and cardiovascular health.

This is surely welcome news for all of us who are looking to strengthen our bones and protect our hearts naturally. Personally I am delighted with this scientific validation of what I have been reporting to you for years — MK-7 offers great benefits for both the skeleton and cardiovascular systems.

For a review of my previous discussions of vitamin K checkout my video “The many benefits of vitamin K” and my article “Vitamin K: the overlooked bone builder and heart protector.”

 

Reference:

Vermeer, C., et al., “Mena Q7 Significantly Improves Bone Strength and Prevents Cardiovascular Aging”, Pre-publication presentation, Vitafoods, 2012, Geneva, May 22, 2012

 

Dr. Susan E. Brown

Could tapping into beer support bone health?

/0 Comments/in /by

I’m sometimes asked by readers who like to have an occasional alcoholic beverage if there is a “better” choice for their health. Well, a recent study has shown that a glass of cold beer might be one answer.

That’s because beer contains dietary silicon in the soluble form of orthosilicic acid. This important element may be important for the growth and development of bone and connective tissue, according to the National Institutes of Health.

If you do like to have a beer now and then, you may want to choose a variety that has the highest amount of silicon. Here’s what researchers discovered last year after testing one hundred commercial beers purchased at a local grocery store:

• India Pale Ale beers tend to have more silicon because they are traditionally stronger and “hoppier,” containing more silicon-rich malt and hops.

• Wheat-based beers contain less silicon, which seems to be related to the lower levels of silicon in wheat malt. Wheat beers are also produced with much less hops than many others.

• Light lager-style beers are also lower in silicon, likely because corn is used during the brewing process

Before you start celebrating too much, I want to remind you that too much alcohol — of any kind — is toxic to bone and very acid forming. Many studies suggest that more than two standard servings of alcoholic beverage per day can actually increase bone loss and fracture risk.

 

References:
Casey et al. Silicon in beer and brewing. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, February 2010; DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.3884
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture press release, accessed 12.14.11. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-02/w-rrl020310.php
ASBMR 26th Annual Meeting: Abstract SA330. Presented Oct. 2, 2004.

Better Bones Blog
Dr. Susan E. Brown

Onions nothing to cry about for bone health

/0 Comments/in /by

How often do you eat onions?

a) Less than once a month

b) Twice a month to twice a week

c) Three to six times a week

d) Once a day or more

OnionsIf you answered “d” — once a day or more — your bones may be thanking you. Several recent studies have shown onions are a top crop when it comes to supporting bone density.

For example, we’ve seen that white women 50 years or older who ate onions every day had a 5% greater overall bone density than those who ate onions once a month or less. And — older women who consume onions most frequently may decrease their risk of hip fracture by more than 20% versus those who never consume onions.

Those are pretty impressive results for preventing bone loss! Another study compared the effects of eating onions to those of Fosamax in rats that had their ovaries removed (surgical menopause) — and found that onions stack up very well. The basic findings were:

• All the rats that had their ovaries removed lost bone (there was a control group that had a fake operation that did not lose bone).

• The rats that had their ovaries removed and were fed onions lost the least amount of bone – and the more onion they were given, the less bone they lost.

• Both the onion-fed rats and the rats who were given Fosamax had bone that was in better shape in terms of its structural components than the rats that had their ovaries removed but weren’t fed either onions or Fosamax — and the former had fewer bone-breakdown cells, so they would continue to lose less bone than their counterparts.

What it boils down to is you can get good results at preserving bone during menopause by regular consumption of onions – without the side effects that may happen with drugs. And onions are high in quercetin, which appears to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Here’s one tip to get the most out of your onions: Many of the phytonutrients in onions are found in the outer layers, so try not to peel off extra layers when you remove the outer, dry layer.

Happy and healthy cooking.

 

References:

Matheson, E.M. The association between onion consumption and bone density in perimenopausal and postmenopausal non-Hispanic white women 50 years and older (2009) Menopause, 16(4):756-9.

Huang T.-H., Muhlbauer R.C., Tang C.-H., Chen H.-I., Chang G.-L., Huang Y.-W., Lai Y.-T., Yang R.-S. Onion decreases the ovariectomy-induced osteopenia in young adult rats (2008) Bone, 42 (6), pp. 1154-1163.

 

Better Bones Blog
Dr. Susan E. Brown

Yo-yo dieting is bad for bones

/0 Comments/in /by

I know that gaining and losing the same 10 pounds over and over is highly frustrating for many people. But did you also know that yo-yo dieting is bad for your bones?

New research shows that when post-menopausal women repeatedly lose weight, they lose bone as well. And, more importantly, when women gain weight back, they don’t gain back bone. In other words — they trade bone for fat!

In the study, the researchers focused on post-menopausal women who lost weight through a six-month endurance exercise program. When the women lost an average of 8.6 pounds, they lost both bone density and fat. However, after a year of not exercising and putting back on an average of 6.4 pounds, the women’s weight gain was almost all fat — with no significant bone recovery.

This led researchers to speculate that repeated weight gain and weight loss (such as through yo-yo dieting) may be the reason some overweight people suffer from low bone mass.

So, a few things are important to remember when you begin a weight loss program:

(1) Strength training, muscle-building exercises should be included. (The research only included with endurance exercises, which were walking, running, rowing, and cycling.)

(2) Your diet should be a strong alkaline diet. Weight loss diets are vastly acid-forming which by itself eats away at bone.

(3) Use all of the 20 key bone nutrients to support bone during weight loss.

(4) And finally, attention should be given to maintaining the weight loss over time.

Actually, the weight loss-bone loss link is one of great interest to me, and I am currently studying a program from Dr. Nan Lu, founder of the Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation in New York City. This innovative program uses gentle Qigong meridian stretching exercises along with a specific eating program to bring about lasting weight loss. This program enlivens our metabolism and our innate healing capacity in such a way that we should be able to let go of extra weight permanently, while at the same time building bone. I’ll update you as I move on with this research.

 

Reference:

Villalon, K., et al. 2011. A Losing Battle: Weight Regain Does Not Restore Weight Loss-Induced Bone Loss in Postmenopausal Women. Obesity , (18 August 2011) | doi:10.1038/oby.2011.263.

dried plums
Dr. Susan E. Brown

Dried plums bear fruit yet again for bone health

/0 Comments/in /by

For a few years now I have been reporting the studies from Dr. Arjmandi and colleagues suggesting that dried plums have a special bone building effect. And, with the results of a new study, Dr. Arjmandi says, “Over my career, I have tested numerous fruits, including figs, dates, strawberries, and raisins, and none of them come anywhere close to having the effect on bone density that dried plums, or prunes, have.”

In the latest work, Dr. Arjmandi and his research group published data from a year-long trial with 100 post-menopausal women comparing the effect of 100 grams of dried apple with 100 grams of dried plums (that’s 10-12 prunes, if you’re counting!). While both fruits had bone-protective effects, the plums had significantly more pronounced effects on bone density of the spine and forearm. And, as would be expected, the markers of bone breakdown decreased most significantly and consistently in the dried plum group.

And do we know anything new about why dried plums maintain and build bone? Well, it is probably at least partially due to the fact that dried plums are high in bone-building vitamins C and K, boron, potassium and potent antioxidant compounds.

Prunes

This study also notes a new finding showing that prune consumption leads to a reduction in C-reactive protein (CRP), which is a marker of inflammation. Lower CRP is a good thing as this means there is less inflammation in the body as a whole. High C-reactive protein, on the other hand, is linked to a number of chronic diseases, including osteoporosis. In fact, a growing body of literature suggests osteoporosis involves an inflammatory response where the body is tearing down old tissue at a much higher rate than it is building new tissue. High antioxidant intake, including the powerful antioxidants from prunes, reduces inflammation.

For those considering adding prunes to their diet, the consumption of 10-12 prunes a day did not lead to any significant weight gain. Also, if you’re following an alkaline diet, you may wonder how prunes fit into the mix. It’s true, prunes are slightly acid-forming, but remember that an alkaline diet is about balancing acid-forming foods with alkaline-forming foods. It’s okay to eat some acid-forming foods as long as the majority of your diet is alkalizing foods. And when the bone-building benefits of the food are as great as they are with prunes, it’s clearly worth the trade-off!

So, if you like prunes, work them into your healthy diet. Wonderful organic prunes are available from California. I like them soaked or stewed a bit, and for the sociability factor, it is always wise to spread them out over a day, taking a few each meal rather than eating them all at once.

 

Reference:
Hooshmand, et al, “Comparative effects of dried plum and dried apples on bone in postmenopausal women”. British Jr. of Nutrition (2011) pages 1-8

Better Bones Blog
Dr. Susan E. Brown

Me and my shadow: Is your sunshine the “right” sunshine for vitamin D production?

/0 Comments/in /by

We produce vitamin D from sunlight exposure, but not all sunshine is created equal.

Only a narrow spectrum of sunlight ultraviolet radiation (UV) stimulates our body’s production of vitamin D, and it’s most intense at the equator where the sun is directly overhead. However, as you move away from the equator, UV radiation varies by season, being the most intense in the summer when the sun is high in the sky. In northern areas, the slant of the sun is such that during the winter months we produce virtually no vitamin D.

ShadowAs getting vitamin D from the sun is so important, I am delighted to share with you a very simple system for estimating the Vitamin D–generating potential of your sunlight. It comes from Canadian vitamin D authority, Dr. Reinhold Vieth, who reports that all you need to do is to look at your shadow. If your shadow is shorter than you are, then you are able to produce vitamin D from this sunlight. If your shadow is longer than you are then you know you are not being exposed to that small spectrum ultraviolet radiation that allows for vitamin D production.

I tried the simple system myself here in Syracuse, New York, in mid-July:
–    At 7 AM, my shadow was much taller than I am,
–    by 11:30 AM, with the sun reaching directly overhead, it was very short,
–    by 1:30 PM, it was even shorter,
–    by 3:30 PM, the shadow was still shorter than I, but growing….
–    and by 4 PM, me and my shadow were about the same size.
From past research we know that these hours around midday are indeed the prime time for vitamin D production. Actually this little tidbit is but one part of a very impressive vitamin D lecture Dr. Vieth recently presented at a conference in London. For a YouTube video of this lecture I refer you to http://bit.ly/quUhb7.

Oh yeah, be sure to pick a sunny day for this experiment. If it is a cloudy day, you will not see your shadow at all.

 

Soda and Bone Health
Dr. Susan E. Brown

The Relationship Between Soda and Bone Health

/0 Comments/in /by

I’ve had many clients who were avid cola drinkers, even using their Coke or Pepsi as a breakfast coffee substitute. I also have seen plenty of people who readily recognized that they were addicted to sodas — using several of these drinks a day to stay alert and functioning. Somewhere deep down, I believe all of us know sodas are not nourishing but not all of us are fully aware of the detailed relationship between soda and bone health.

Even so, because so many of us continue to drink soda, I don’t believe we truly understand the detrimental effects on our health. Especially when you consider the average American consumes nearly 45 gallons of soda a year. We drink more soda than any other beverage, including bottled water (28.3 gallons), beer (20.8 gallons), and milk (20.4 gallons), according to 2010 figures from the Beverage Marketing Corporation.

Excessive soda use paves the way for many degenerative diseases including diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, tooth decay, and osteoporosis.

For example, researchers studied soda and bone health and found the effect of drinking three cola-type sodas or more a day. They found that women who drank cola — whether regular, diet, or noncaffeinated — had nearly 4% lower bone mineral density in the hip. (Non-cola sodas were not found to have the same effect; nor did the men in the study show lower hip bone density.) For young girls the data is even stronger documenting increased fracture risk with soda use. In fact, studies show a 3 to 5 fold increase in fractures among teenage girls who regularly consume acidic soft drink beverages.

Bone experts have several ideas as to why soda and bone health are related:

• Many colas contain phosphoric acid. As the body tries to neutralize the acid, it is forced to draw substantial amounts of alkalizing calcium compounds from our bones.

• Many sodas contain caffeine. Caffeine may increase your body’s excretion of calcium, contributing to lower bone density.

• The “replacement” theory. This is the idea that the more soda you drink, the less likely you are to choose water and other more healthful beverages.

The damaging effects of each ingredient on your bones are cumulative and additive. And, in addition to the caffeine, phosphoric acid, and other chemical additives, a regular 12-ounce soda contains 9–10 teaspoons of sugar — usually in the guise of high-fructose corn syrup.

So what are some healthy, summer-refreshing alternatives? If you are looking for the caffeine boost, iced green tea is an excellent choice. Alkalizing fruit spritzers made with soda, spring, or mineral water give a healthful lift. Fresh squeezed lemon or lime with a bit of raw cane sugar alkalizes while it refreshes. Iced fruit smoothies are delicious and chuck full of antioxidants, much less fresh-from-the garden carrot and vegetable juices.

Right now I’m going to start my day with a “green drink” — juicing greens and celery from my garden along with a few carrots and an apple. I bet you also have creative ideas for alternatives to soda for you and your family. I’d love to hear about your favorites. Be conscious of the relationship between soda and bone health. Be well and enjoy every minute of the summer!

 

References:

Tucker, K., et al 2006. Colas, but not other carbonated beverages, are associated with low bone mineral density in older women: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study. Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 84 (4), 936–994. 

Wyshak, G and Frisch, RE., 1994 ; Wyshak, G,2000. “Teenaged girls, carbonated beverage consumption and bone fractures”. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. June, 2000, Vol 154, No. 6. pages 610-613.

Fernando, G., et al. 1999. Consumption of soft drinks with phosphoric acid as a risk factor for the development of hypocalcemia in postmenopausal women. J. Clin. Epidemiol., 52 (10), 1007–1010.

Taylor, E., & Curhan, G. 2009. Demographic, dietary, and urinary factors and 24-h urinary calcium excretion. Clin. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., 4 (12), 1980–1987.

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/123/9/1611.long

Greer, B. Food Works. University of Tennessee Extension Document # SP468.

http://adage.com/article/news/consumers-drink-soft-drinks-water-beer/228422/

Better Bones Blog
Dr. Susan E. Brown

Bone Research in the Brazilian Amazon!

/0 Comments/in /by

ColombiaAs many of you know, I am an anthropologist as well as a nutritionist, and I have worked in several Central and South American countries. In fact, some of my most memorable field work was among the Bari (Motilone) Indians of Colombia pictured below. At the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research meeting of bone researchers in March of this year, I had the opportunity to meet a wonderful Brazilian endocrinologist, Dr. Marise Lazaretti Castro. She was at the meeting presenting her research findings on vitamin D deficiency in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Dr. Lazaretti and I took an immediate liking to one another, and right away, we began musing about what might be the “natural” human vitamin D level. We soon realized the perfect place to find out would be in the Brazilian Amazon.

As it turns out, Dr. Lazaretti might well have contacts who could facilitate access to such an indigenous population, so that we could hopefully be able to carry out this project one day. If so, I would like to look at a few more variables in addition to vitamin D. For example, I would like to assess the bone breakdown rates at different life stages and compare them with our rates of bone loss. I would also like to look at menopausal symptoms in such an indigenous group (such symptoms are often absent entirely), as well as changes in muscle strength and bone mineral density over time. What great fun even thinking about this. Here’s crossing my fingers it can become a reality! We only have so much time for this sort of research before all the indigenous people of the few remote, unaltered regions of the world become modernized and homogenized.