Bone health

Help prevent weak bones — what to avoid

by Dr. Susan E. Brown, PhD

Healthy eating helps provide your body with vitamins and minerals that are important for bone health and osteoporosis prevention. But we also want women to pay attention to other factors that weaken bones. The primary offenders are the following:

Alcohol

More than a few drinks a week interferes with mineral absorption by depleting magnesium and lowering production of parathyroid hormone. Alcohol abuse is also associated with a greater risk of falling and fracture.

Caffeine

More than two cups of coffee a day is associated with decreased bone density and more than five cups triples your risk for hip fractures (maybe because you're so jittery!). Caffeine is a diuretic and increases the excretion of calcium and magnesium in urine, especially in older women who may already be having trouble absorbing minerals.

Caffeine initiates the same mechanism that propels the “fight or flight” reaction. It simulates symptoms of anxiety and wears out the adrenals — all of which drain the body’s ability to maintain good hormonal balance and build bone.

Heavy metals

Aluminum, mercury, lead, and other heavy metals are all around us. We have mercury in our mouths, lead in our water, aluminum in our deodorants (and antacids!). We know that heavy metal toxicity inflames our system but to what level it affects bone loss has yet to be discovered. Some people don’t detox heavy metals as well as others. This can have a deleterious affect on gastrointestinal, kidney, and liver function — all of which can affect bone remodeling and calcium absorption.

Lack of exercise

One of the risk factors for weak bones is being on your feet less than four hours a day. Bones are meant to carry weight and move — if you don’t use them you lose them, just like muscle. That’s why astronauts lose bone mass in space. Bones are meant to resist gravity. While exercising too much can also inhibit bone growth (by inhibiting hormone production), doing weight-bearing activities three times a week will benefit your bones.

Salt

There is some evidence that too much salt leads to an increase in calcium in the urine. Some nutritionists recommend moderating salt intake if calcium absorption is a concern.

Steroid drugs

Corticosteroids damage bones by disrupting the absorption of calcium from the small intestines. Bone loss can occur quickly when you take steroids and they come with a host of unpleasant side affects — but if you are currently taking them do not stop without supervision from a healthcare professional.

Stress

Stress wreaks havoc on the adrenals (for more information see our articles on adrenal health), lowers serotonin, and increases cortisol. If you are under a lot of stress, your cortisol levels don’t drop at night as they should. Sleep is when the body regenerates, in part by building bone. High levels of cortisol interfere with this process and sap bone strength.

Related to this article:

References & further reading on bone health

 

Last Modified Date: 05/25/2011
Principal Author: Dr. Susan E. Brown, PhD