A little exercise can go a long way in preventing osteoporosis, a crippling bone disease that affects 200 million people worldwide.

Medical experts say that exercising for at least one hour a day three times a week can keep the bones strong and prevent fractures of the hip and spine in women.

The best part is that you don’t have to spend a bundle or run a marathon to experience the benefits of exercise. You can stay in shape and prevent osteoporosis right in the comfort of your own home or neighborhood.

Osteoporosis or porous bones is a disease that affects primarily white and Asian women. After menopause, the ovaries stop producing the female hormone estrogen that affects the calcium content of bones. As the bones lose calcium, they become thin and brittle. Although men may also suffer from osteoporosis as they age, women are more vulnerable because they have less bone mass.

This silent disease may progress for years without any symptoms, leaving its victims susceptible to fractures of the hip, wrist and spine. Worldwide, osteoporosis causes over 1.6 million hip fractures every year. About 20 percent of these women die within a year from complications.

“One of the most crucial strategies for preventing osteoporosis is to start a lifelong exercise program. The reason is that the skeleton is responsive to mechanical load, the amount of force you use against your bones. The more mechanical load you apply, the more your bones increase in mass. The best way to ‘load up’ is to engage in activities, such as weight-bearing exercises, that use the body’s own weight as a force against gravity. These types of exercise stimulate bone-cell production,” according to the editors of “The Women’s Book of Home Remedies” published by Consumer Guide.

To improve bone strength and stimulate bone growth, exercises such as walking, cycling, tennis, aerobics or jogging are best. But before you start any exercise program, consult your doctor or a qualified physical therapist. In general, your routine should include aerobic exercise, stretching and strengthening workouts.

Regular exercise will help you lose weight, improve your looks, and increase your confidence. To enhance your exercise routine, take Phenocal, a safe, natural, and effective weight loss supplement that boosts your metabolism, suppresses your appetite, reduces food cravings, and increases energy levels to keep you in shape. Check out http://www.phenocal.com for more information.



Thanks to Janet Martin for contributing this article to our Osteoporosis blog:

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Vitamins D is a fat-soluble seco-sterol hormone precursor that is responsible for sustaining optimal levels of calcium and phosphorus in our blood stream. To some extent, Vitamin D is manufactured by our skin though exposure to sunlight. The best time for sunlight exposure is during the spring and fall seasons.. Winter sunlight is too weak for the production of Vitamin D. Many of us do not get enough exposure to sunlight during the year. We have been convinced that the sun is not good for our skin, so when we are exposed to sun we have come to use clothing and sun screen to “protect” ourselves from the sun. Most of us spend most of our time indoors. These factors have resulted in making Vitamin D deficiency a common if not major health problem. It has also been found that older people and many younger women, especially African-American women, and those who live in Northern climates with less time exposure to sunlight are at risk for Vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D is essential in reducing bone fractures and increasing bone strength and density. It has been found that higher quantities of calcium alone in our diets does not reduce the risk of bone fracture or significantly increase bone density and strength. The reason for this is that calcium needs to be absorbed in order to be beneficial. Vitamin D is essential in increasing the absorption of calcium. This is especially important for women in producing and maintaining healthy, strong bone structure and prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Children need Vitamin D to help their bones mineralize during rapid bone growth. Of course, we all know the importance of the absorption of calcium enhanced by Vitamin D for the development and maintenance of oral bone and tooth health. Vitamin D may very well help us keep our teeth.

In the Northern part of our world and during the winter many people suffer from SAD i.e. seasonal affective disorder. SAD is a form of depression most probably due to reduced exposure to sunlight resulting in less production of Vitamin D. It has been found that supplemental intake of Vitamin D is superior to light therapy in reducing the condition of SAD. It has also been found that blood pressure is elevated during the winter and in people with less exposure to sunlight. Research has shown that people with little exposure to sunlight, who add Vitamin D supplementation to their diets, experience lowering of high blood pressure and lower heart rate. The absorption of calcium though the use of sufficient amounts of Vitamin D has been found to prevent and reduce hypertension..

Vitamin D has been found to provide a critical function in many metabolic processes, such as our cell growth, our immune system, and our cardiovascular health. Low levels i.e. deficiency of Vitamin D has been found to be a factor in congestive heart failure for many older people. Extensive research is being conducted to determine the effect of Vitamin D deficiency in the growth of certain cancers. The lack of absorption of calcium because of Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to seizures. Because of Vitamin D’s effect on the maintenance of healthy levels of calcium and phosphorus in the blood stream and absorption of calcium and phosphorus, Vitamin D has been shown to be helpful in treating kidney failure.

Vitamin D has been shown to increase muscles strength, especially large muscle e.g thighs, calves, arms, and diaphragm. Vitamin D has also been found to reduce muscle pain by helping repair the damage of muscle strain. This is especially important as we age.

More and more evidence is being found confirming the vital importance of Vitamin D for our general health as well as for our bone health. Unfortunately, relying on exposure to sunlight for our skin to produce Vitamin D, has it’s limitations such as winter, geographic location, indoor lifestyle, etc. It would be wise for us to insure that we are receiving enough Vitamin D by adding a Vitamin D supplement to our diets in single form or through multiple vitamin formulas containing healthy amounts of Vitamin D.



Thanks to Jennifer Kays for contributing this article to our Osteoporosis blog:

Osteoporosis Bone Density