Worldwide, one out of three women over age 50 and one out of five older men will develop an osteoporotic fracture a hip, a wrist, a vertebra or two. Another reason for the endless jawboning about bones is mass confusion over how best to strengthen your skeleton and whether diet and supplements really make a difference.
Bone is a dynamic tissue, constantly replenished with new cells. Calcium is the key nutrient for building bone, and vitamin D enables the gut to absorb calcium from the food we eat, so doctors often recommend D supplements to counteract age related bone loss.
A healthy balanced diet will help you build healthy bones from an early age and maintain them throughout your life
- You need sufficient calcium to keep your bones healthy and vitamin D to help your body absorb calcium.
- Poor bone health can cause conditions such as rickets and osteoporosis and increase the risk of breaking a bone from a fall later in life.
- You should be able to get all the nutrients you need for healthy bones by eating a balanced diet.
- A good diet is only one of the building blocks for healthy bones, which also includes exercise and avoiding certain risk factors for osteoporosis.
A healthy diet can help with bone mineralization and the bone-rebuilding process. Calcium and vitamin D work together for bone health, but more foods and exercise contribute. Just like muscles, bones respond to exercise by getting stronger.
