Focus on nutrition during pregnancy to seize the opportunity for bone development
There is a direct correlation between early stunting caused by inadequate nutritional intake during pregnancy and the reduced peak bone mineral content and increased risk of hip fracture later in adulthood. Therefore, it is important to start “saving for a rainy day” even before the baby is born.
”what to supplement
Good nutrition, including 3 types of substances: adequate calcium, vitamin D and protein. Among them, the pregnancy micronutrient that is most closely related to the development of your child’s bones is vitamin D.
”How much to supplement
The National Health Service (NHS) recommends that mothers-to-be should take 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D a day during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
The recommendation emphasizes the option of taking a multivitamin supplement for vitamin D. No supplements containing vitamin A (too much retinol may be harmful to the fetus) should be taken.
Children and adolescents build bones and store bone mass for the future
Primary goal: to achieve maximum potential for peak bone mass.
Again, calcium, vitamin D and protein are the most important nutrients for perfecting bone health in children and adolescents.
Starting at age 2, 80% of a child’s dietary calcium intake comes primarily from milk and other dairy products.
Maintain bone mass in adulthood and curb the trend of bone loss
Primary goal: Avoid premature bone loss while maintaining healthy bones.
The vast majority of people can maintain bone mass by eating a normal diet, but the main thing they need to do is avoid some of the negative lifestyle factors that can accelerate bone loss.
Lifestyle factors that may negatively affect bone health.
Alcohol
For both men and women, more than two units of alcohol per day may increase the risk of fragility fractures, and more than four units per day doubles the risk of fractures.
”Caffeine” under- and over-nutrition
Older adults focus on fighting frailty and reducing falls and fractures
”Primary goal: Prevention and treatment of osteoporosis
The main recommendations of the report’s guidelines for older adults are
Screening is recommended for people at risk of developing vitamin D deficiency, but not for those who are not at risk.
Adults aged 50 to 70 years or over 70 years need at least 600 and 800 international units of vitamin D per day, respectively.
Adults who are vitamin D deficient should supplement with 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 or vitamin D3 per week for 8 weeks, or the equivalent of 6,000 IU of vitamin D2 or vitamin D3 per day.
In addition, it is important to prevent muscle atrophy because it reduces the risk of falls and associated injuries, including the risk of fragility fractures.
The optimal dietary protein intake is 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg body weight per day, with at least 20 to 25 g of high-quality protein per main meal.
To maintain serum concentrations of 25(OH)D above 50 nM/L (20 ng/mL), the daily intake of vitamin D is 800 IU.
Calcium intake is 1 to 000 mg per day.
Regular physical activity/exercise 3 to 5 times per week, with protein supplementation near the end of exercise.
Although it is important to adopt habits that are beneficial to bone health at all stages of life, the use of pharmacotherapy in patients at high risk for fracture is critical to prevent fractures. Common types of pharmacotherapy include.
Bisphosphonates (alendronate, risedronate, ibandronate, zoledronic acid).
Denosumab.
Hormone replacement therapy.
SERMs: raloxifene.
Strontium ranelate.
Parathyroid hormones: teriparatide and PTH (1-84).
The biggest challenge is that patients do not take their osteoporosis medications as prescribed. Unfortunately, up to half of the patients stop treatment after one year.
Whether it’s a weekday or a New Year’s holiday, it’s always a good idea to follow your doctor’s orders and take your medication on time.