Preventing Osteoporosis with Smart Supplementation

2.2 million Australians are affected by osteoporosis, and as many as 4 out of 5 people with osteoporosis don’t even know they have it. Osteoporosis is characterised by a loss of bone mass, resulting in bone fragility and a highly increased risk of fractures of weight-bearing bones.

If allowed to progress osteoporosis can lead to loss of height, stooped posture, humpback and severe pain. Osteoporosis affects both mena and women, however women are at a higher risk for this condition, especially after menopause. In Australia, one in two women and one in three men over sixty wil suffer a fracture due to osteoporosis. After the first fracture, there is a 2-4 times greater risk of another one happening within 6-12 months.

Osteoporosis won’t affect everyone. However, everyone will benefit from healthy, strong bones. A deficiency in certain minerals and vitamins plays a role in the onset of osteoporosis. By supplementing and maintaining sufficient levels of calcium, magnesium, vitamins and minerals, and adopting a healthy lifestyle and diet, everyone can keep their bones strong and healthy.

Here are some general tips for keeping strong, healthy bones:

  • Increase the calcium in your diet. Supplement with a good quality calcium product like Bioceuticals AdvaCal, and increase the amounts of low-fat dairy, green leafy vegetables and legumes if you don’t eat enough.Ā  You don’t need to drink 2 litres of milk a day, however you should have at least one or two dairy sources a day along with the AdvaCal.
  • Avoid soft drinks. Strange as this may seem, avoiding soft drinks will reduce sugar and phosphorous in your diet, which also helps prevent too much calcium from being excreted by your body.
  • Get more Vitamin D. Some of us live sedentary lives in front of a computer – leaving while it’s dark in the morning, eating lunch at your desk, then leaving when it’s dark. Basically, we don’t get enough sun. The sun will give you the majority of the required daily Vitamin D, however supplementation is still a good idea.Even if you are getting a good 15 minutes exposure to the sun everyday, supplementation with Eagle Pharmaceuticals Tresos-B will provide you with the vitamins and minerals you need daily.
  • Get moving. Make exercise a part of your daily routine. Weight bearing exercises, such as low-impact aerobics, jogging and walking are all beneficial in minimizing bone loss.

Supplements

Sometimes it is just not possible to eat right, and get all the required vitamins and minerals everyday. Unfortunately, vitamin and mineral deficiencies can not only lead to states of ill health – it can also lead to osteoporosis. This is where nutritional supplements are extremely handy.

If you would like to maintain healthy bones, or if you are at risk of osteoporosis, it is important that you increase your intake of the following vitamins and minerals.

Calcium

Calcium is the most abundant mineral found in the body, with most of it being found in our bones. It is possibly the most important mineral involved in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis.

If we have adequate levels of calcium daily, we can help to reduce bone loss by up to 50%.

It’s not often that we consume enough dairy and calcium rich vegetables to get the required amount of calcium everyday, so supplementation is needed.

There are many calcium supplements on the market, with a large percentage of those being highly ineffective. For a calcium supplement to really work, it needs to be ‘chelated’ for maximum absorption.

Bioceuticals AdvaCal ForteĀ is an ideal supplement for maintaining the integrity of your bones. Use this supplement in conjunction with a healthy diet and regular exercise, and you will be making a very smart choice in protecting yourself against osteoporosis.

 

Magnesium

At Emed we always try to reinforce the importance of adequate magnesium intake, however to protect yourself against osteoporosis, magnesium supplementation is even more important.

Magnesium is a mineral that plays an important role in the maintenance of health bones. Magnesium contributes to increased bone density and helps to prevent the onset of osteoporosis. Sadly, a large number of people simply do not get enough magnesium in their diet due to the large amount of processed food they eat. Junk food, take away food and packet food are all low in nutritional value, with most of the magnesium removed.

Magnesium works closely with calcium. Without magnesium, calcium is not absorbed very well into the body. It is important to have an appropriate ratio of both minerals in order for them to be effective.

Like calcium, chelated forms of magnesium are the most effective. Bioceuticals Ultra Muscleze is probably the most effective and well-absorbed magnesium supplement available. As a powdered magnesium, it is quickly absorbed into the body, and also supplies an array of vitamins, minerals and nutrients for optimal nutrition.

If you prefer a tablet form, Eagle’s Mag RestoreĀ contains a high dose of magnesium per tablet in an easily-absorbable form.

Want to combine both a calcium and magnesium supplement? Blackmores Professional C.P.M.P. contains both calcium phosphate and magnesium phosphate in the correct ratio for good absorption into the body. Though this supplement is not as potent as the others, it is a good start.

Remember though that is is best to divide your magnesium supplements throughout the day, rather than taking them all at once. Try to have one dose at breakfast, then another at dinner, and always with food to prevent stomach upset.

 

Vitamin D

Vitamin D significantly enhances calcium absorption and bone formation in the body. When taken with a calcium supplement, it plays a critical role in the maintenance of bone density.

The best source of Vitamin D is of course the sun, however for many people, the recommended amount of sun exposure is simply not possible.

Eagle Pharmaceuticals Tresos B is a high potency multivitamin/multimineral supplement that fills in the ‘gaps’ in your diet. Tresos provides 2.5 mcg of Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) per tablet, with the average dosage of two tablets per day provding you with a good dose of the sun vitamin.

We should all still try to get a few minutes of sun a day, and with Tresos, you will be giving yourself the best chance for correct vitamin D levels.

 

Vitamin K

Vitamin K promotes strong bones by binding calcium and other minerals to the bone. Normally Vitamin K stays out of the spotlight, as it not normally supplemented.

Vitamin K1 and K2 (also known as phylloquinone and menaquinone respectively) is normally produced by bacteria in the intestines. The bacteria will normally produce all the Vitamin K that the body requires, however antibiotic use, alcohol, poor diet and sickness can kill these Vitamin-K producing bacteria.

A lack of bacteria in the intestines will not only lead to poor health and gastrointestinal problems, it will also lead to a dietary deficiency in Vitamin K.

Everybody should be using a probiotic supplement everyday. Not only will this replenish the ‘good bacteria’ in the gastrointestinal tract, it will also promote good digestion, vitamin and mineral absorption, and optimal health.

If you take antibiotics, prescription medications, drink alcohol, have a poor diet or suffer from gastrointestinal problems, it is crucial that you invest in a good quality probiotic supplement.

The important thing though, before you start taking probiotics, is to prepare your intestines. If your intestines and bowels are damaged, the bacteria will not be able to ‘adhere’ to the walls. Bioceuticals SB FlorActiv is one of the only probiotic natural medications that does not require refrigeration, making it ideal for travel.

SB FlorActiv helps to inactivate bacterial toxins and reduce digestive inflammatory mediators. It encourages the ‘good bacteria’ to adhere and colonise in the gastrointestinal tract. Ideally, before you start taking a probiotic supplement, use SB FlorActiv twice day for at least two months, then replace with a top quality probiotic supplement, like Bioceuticals Ultra Biotic 45.

Containing over 45 billion good bacteria per capsule, UltraBiotic 45 is possibly the strongest probiotic available. It will replace all the good bacteria that is otherwise lost, and will promote optimal function of the gastrointestinal tract. UltraBiotic 45 will help you to digest food properly and increase the absorption of vitamins and minerals. We recommend UltraBiotic 45 because it really does work.

 

Vitamin C

Very little attention is paid to the importance of Vitamin C for bone health. Vitamin C is widely known as a powerful antioxidant, as well as an immunity booster. However, Vitamin C has recently been recognised as having a significant role in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis due to its ability to increase bone density.

We all know that oranges, citrus fruits and colourful vegetables are sources of Vitamin C, but who really eats enough of these foods everyday? Even if you do, often these foods don’t contain adequate levels of Vitamin C.

Everybody should take a Vitamin C supplement, especially through the colder months where colds and flus are prevalent. Along with your multivitamin supplement, we recommend the use of Eagle’s Beta AC.

Beta AC is a powerful antioxidant supplement contains Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Rutin, Betacarotene, Calcium and Zinc. It scavenges free radicals, and assist in relieving minor skin disorders, promotes tisue repair and assist in maintaining the integrity of bones. Because it is available in both a powder and tablet form, it is ideal for the whole family, and can be easily mixed into foods and drinks without anyone noticing!

 

Trace elements

For some minerals, only trace amounts are required to be effective. Taken as supplements, trace elements may promote bone formation, bone strength, and prevent osteoporosis. With poor diet, most people do not get enough, if any trace elements. For the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, supplementation can be helpful.

A good quality multivitamin/multimineral like Eagle’s Tresos B is ideal. It provides all the trace elements that are required by the body, and with a proper diet, and probiotic supplementation, you can actively prevent osteoporosis.

We recommend that everyone should take Tresos B daily. It can be used by most members of the family, and when bought in the economical 300 tablet bottle, offers real value. For as little as 34 cents a day, every member of your family can feel better everyday.

 

Invest in your health

As you can see, it takes more than just increasing your calcium intake to prevent and treat osteoporosis. A range of other minerals and vitamins, when working together, also play important roles in bone health.

Remember that maintaining adequate amounts of calcium, magnesium, vitamins D, K and C as well as other minerals is essential in maintaining healthy bones, and optimal nutrition.

The cost of the supplements is only a small price to pay for good bone strength, mobility and health for the rest of your life.

 

Emed Comment:

The article is really quite self-explanatory. Not only will correct supplementation, good diet and plenty of exercise protect you from osteoporosis – it will also help to protect against poor health.

I’m not saying that you can protect against all diseases and sicknesses, however by taking the vitamins, minerals and nutrients that you need everyday, you are giving yourself the best chance. This is also the main reason why I have introduce the Emed ONE (Optimal Nutrition Evaluation) Test.

The ONE Test is the most comprehensive test available. This revolutionary test uses a urine specimen to assess your functional needs for nutrients, amino acids and oxidative stress. In basic terms, it will tell you the precise levels of vitamins, minerals and nutrients (down to the microgram) that are in your body, and will compare it to what you need.

Unlike the ‘normal’ tests that focus on what made you sick, the ONE test gives you the answers and a complete understanding of specific biological systems that can help you achieve the best health possible.

Realistically, everyone could benefit from this test, irrespective of whether they have obvious symptoms or not.

Though the initial cost may seem like a lot, this test will save you a lot of money. Imagine how much is spent running from doctor to doctor, on naturopathic appointments or on medications that you don’t need. The ONE Test gives you the power to take control of your health.

The ONE Test also provides an amino acid profile that will show you the exact levels of amino acids in your body. Amino acids are the building blocks to muscle, and contribute to the production of energy and strength. A deficiency of a particular amino acid can lead to many stages of ill health, even including depression.

Also, in this test package, you will also be measured for oxidative stress – how much damage free radicals have done to your body. Free radical damage leads to illness, ageing and poor skin, hair and complexion.

The ONE Test will measure your exact levels of calcium, magnesium and vitamins (what you need to prevent osteoporosis), and Emed will provide you with exact natural medicines and dosages that YOU need.

Cut out the guessing – take control of your health with a scientifically based approach.

 

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