Williamson Back Pain Sufferers May Benefit from Fiber to Improve Nutrient Absorption
“Youth is wasted on the young.” Have you heard that saying? Apple Country Chiropractic supposes that there’s a little truth in that for all of us - and particularly our Williamson spines - as we age. When we are young, our bodies need8 our attention more than we gave. Our young bones and spines and bodies require proper nutrition so that our older bones and spine and bodies are in good shape when we desire living our lives less painfully and more fully. Apple Country Chiropractic reveals what Williamson chiropractic patients can do now to tackle bone mineral density (BMD) issues, regardless of their current age.
BMD AND OSTEOPOROSIS: BUILD BMD WHILE YOUNG
Optimizing peak bone mass early in life may decrease osteoporosis risk later in life. A recent report wrote that Vitamin D and calcium in females positively affected bone mineral density into young adulthood. Intakes of phosphorous and the calcium:phosphorous ratio at adolescence for females negatively affected BMD in young adulthood. Calcium intake in adolescent males strongly negatively influenced BMD in the lumbar spine at young adulthood. Other leading factors were body weight at adolescence and young adulthood which positively influenced BMD. (1) Apple Country Chiropractic can’t stress enough just how important nutrition is for their future well-being.
BENEFITS OF IMPROVED NUTRITION BEYOND BETTER BONE MINERAL DENSITY
Osteoporosis is a disease of older folks that stems from youthful (in)attention. Low serum levels of vitamin D in osteoporotic women tend to have an heightened chance of having any type of cancer and breast cancer. (2) Calcium intake during the teen years of life is important to decrease the risk of osteoporosis later in life. Teen girls absorb calcium more effectively: 326mg in teenage girls versus just 73mg in older women of 1332 mg taken daily. Even more problematic is that teen girls’ daily intake of calcium is far below what it should be. Increasing bone mass by only 5% cuts the risk of fracture by 40%. (3) Getting healthy bones hinges on more than just calcium and vitamin D though. Deficiencies of vitamins B, C, E, and K as well as retinol disrupt bone’s health. (4) Apple Country Chiropractic shares these stats to encourage us all to boost intake of nutrients to build bone mass early and support it later to keep it healthy.
IMPROVE ABSORPTION OF NUTRIENTS
Apple Country Chiropractic understands that kids and their families want to be sure that their nutritional efforts will pay off. TIP: Dietary fiber may increase the body’s absorption of calcium but does it in different ways for older men and women. Greater intake of dietary fiber and fruit fiber was protective against bone loss in men but not women. Fiber from vegetables was protective against spine bone loss in women but not men. Cereal fiber or nut and legume fiber increases did not relate to bone loss in either men or women. Higher dietary fiber may reduce bone loss in men. (5) Who would have imagined that fiber would have anything to do with bone mineral density? Apple Country Chiropractic thinks that many of our Williamson chiropractic patients wouldn’t have!
FIBER’S DEFENSE OF MEN’S BMD
Luckily, some very alert doctors and researchers did observe that fiber intake was a protective factor of lumbar spine BMD in men 18-45 years of age but not in women. In men over 65 years, nutrient intake indicated no effect on BMD. In women between 18 and 45, fiber did not show a significant effect on BMDs, but daily fat intake significantly increased BMD. (6) A curious side note: Some thought that bone mineral density could be a risk factor for lumbar disc herniation in young persons, but a recent study debunked that thought. (7) However, there is evidence in the medical literature that stresses the general benefit of nutrition - and now fiber intake in men - on the health of the body, its bones and its spine.
CONTACT Apple Country Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Nike Taylor on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she helps a patients with chronic low back pain with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your next Williamson chiropractic appointment with Apple Country Chiropractic where your spine, body and its bones are well known in their current age whether they were treated well in their youth or not!
