If you’re a female over 30, there’s some good news and bad news about your bone health. First the bad news: Sometime in the first few decades of life, bones reach their peak mass and strength, and from there, naturally begin to decline. Instead of taking up calcium and other minerals to build themselves up, as they do in earlier years, bones now begin let go of those important minerals faster than they can be replenished. Menopause only speeds the rate of bone loss. By age 50, one in four Canadian women will have osteoporosis, or “porous,” brittle bones. By age 70, many will have lost up to 50% of their peak bone mass.

Now for the good news: While some degree of bone loss is inevitable, you do have opportunities to take control over its rate and severity, and ultimately, how dramatically it will affect your life. Osteoporosis is preventable for the vast majority of women, and may be stabilized and even improved for those already diagnosed. Research indicates that the right lifestyle and nutrition choices can make a profound difference in the outcome of your bone health -- but early action is vital to avoid the pitfalls of osteoporosis. As Dr. Robert Arking notes in The Biology of Aging, “The state of our bones is a good reflection of the manner in which we have lived and will live.”

How Far will You Fall?
Most women only begin thinking about bone health once they near menopause. Therefore, for some, the first opportunity to optimize peak bone health may have already passed. If before you turned 30 you ate a diet rich in greens, calcium, magnesium and vitamin D, didn’t smoke, didn’t drink sodas and exercised regularly, chances are your peak bone mass level was good. Studies show that people with higher bone density at that critical peak period have far fewer fractures later in life compared to those with lower peak bone mass.

But for many women, the only opportunity to secure bone health starts right now. Women over 30 must commit to a few key bone-saving lifestyle and nutrition measures. One of the most important of these is regular exercise. Research clearly indicates that fitness is a major determinant of bone density, and that just one hour of moderate physical activity, three times per week, can help prevent bone loss and even increase bone mass in postmenopausal women.

Nutrition is the other major factor in preserving bone health, through both food and dietary supplement choices. A diet high in protein, sugar and soft-drinks, for example, has the effect of pulling vital calcium from the bones. Sadly, this is a common dietary profile for kids, teens and adults alike, and the resulting calcium loss occurs in all ages. For pre- or post-menopausal women, where bone density is already in decline, the effect of poor dietary choices can be devastating, and literally debilitating.

Balancing out bone loss at this life stage requires a concentrated effort of supplying a number of key bone-building nutrients on a daily basis. Some of these may be partly obtained through diet, but for most, additional supplementation is vital.

Bone Basics
Before we list the top nutritional bone-builders, it’s important to understand how bones are structured, how they change over time, and what happens in the case of osteoporosis.

Bones are vital structural organs formed of both organic (living) tissue and inorganic (non-living) minerals within a “bone matrix.” The organic tissue is primarily collagen, the same basic protein structure found in the skin, hair, nails and cartilage. Collagen gives bones their form and provides flexibility. The inorganic minerals stored in bone include calcium, phosphorous, magnesium and manganese. These minerals give bone strength and density, and are stored there for use in other bodily functions as needed. Our bones also create blood cells, help regulate pH levels, store fatty acids and remove toxic heavy metals from the bloodstream for excretion at a later time.

David Wirth is freelance writer who's been working in the natural health field for nearly 20 years.

Source: alive Web Exclusive, September 2009