Archive for the 'Osteoporosis' Category

Weights, protein supplements and losing weight

I was discouraged from trying weight training. “If you lift weights you might start to ‘bulk-up’ like a man”, my girlfriends thought. Certainly I didn’t want to look like a body builder; I just wanted to lose some weight and tone up. My doctor suggested it after diagnosing me with low bone density. He explained to me research that demonstrates that strength training (or resistance exercise as he called it) has profound effects on the musculoskeletal system and can reduce osteoporosis and lower back pain problems.

I started with very light weights and at least ten to fifteen repetitions per set. By using lighter weights with a greater number or repetitions, my personal trainer had suggested this would be a good starting point to improve muscle tone. I only was able to commit half an hour three times a week, but that was all it took to notice a difference.

I wasn’t losing much weight, but my clothes were looser and my body felt firmer. The slacks that required a deep breath to fit into now felt comfortable. My personal trainer had suggested my posture needed improving so I was working to improve my stabilizing muscles across my back, neck, shoulders, hips and abdomen. I am starting to notice the difference. I have been plagued by headaches and migraines for much of my life but I have been fortunate to have had relatively few of these since trying the weight training.

One aspect I am falling down on is improving my diet. My doctor wants me to increase my intake of dairy products (particularly cheese and yoghurt) to improve my calcium intake and to increase my protein intake. I find it quite hard to get a good amount of protein in my diet as I rarely eat meat or eggs. My personal trainer has suggested protein supplements. There seem to be vast number of types available - soy protein, whey protein, and a vast number of brands. My plan is to try a single serve of a protein supplement each day when I find one I enjoy the taste of and which works for my body.

If you’ve struggled with weight loss and haven’t tried weight training I would thoroughly recommend it. And my girlfriends (and partner) think I am looking great!

Posted in Exercise, Nutrition for Adults, Osteoporosis, Weight Management | No Comments »

A Coke and a Smile.. or a degenerative bone disease.. you pick.

Another reason to rethink your diet ladies.. Just read that, apparently, Coke (Pepsi, included) has been linked to high rates of Osteoporosis.. Apparently the phosphoric acid in both Pepsi Cola and Coke is the culprit (who would of thought something that could burn a hole through rust could be bad for you??).

Researchers now believe that cola consumption is linked with a loss in bone mineral density in women.

Cola consumption (4 colas a week or more) was linked to a lower bone mineral density in three hip sites (but not the spine) - and the association was only with colas and not other carbonated beverages.

Presumably here we are talking about any drink with phosphoric acid in it (i.e. Pepsi Cola and Coca-cola).

aaaaaaand, more…….

Traditionally, the bone deficiency disease osteoporosis (literally “porous bones”) has been seen mostly in post-menopausal women, particularly those who did not build high bone density in youth, typically due to insufficient calcium intake. Some researchers have observed a positive correlation between soft-drink consumption and increased risk of osteoporosis in young women, which is now also seen in increasing prevalence in men of late middle age.

Phosphoric acid, used in many soft drinks (primarily so in cola drinks), was initially suspected. It has been claimed that an excess of phosphorus may lead to poor bone density. However medical research indicates that exactly the opposite is the case; as one might expect from the simple application of Le Châtelier’s principle, it is low phosphate intake which increases the risk of osteoporosis, while high phosphate intake reduces it.^[2]

Other chemicals such as caffeine (also a significant component of popular common cola drinks) were also suspected as possible contributors to low bone density, due to the known effect of caffeine on calciuria. However other studies have shown that not only does phosphoric acid in colas have no such effect, but the caffeine has only a temporary effect which is later reversed. The authors of this study suggest that any correlation between osteoporosis and soft drink consumption is probably due to displacement of dairy products from the diet.^[3]. (Another possible confounding factor may be an association between high soft drink consumption and sedentary lifestyle

Sorry, that was a mouthful.. but well worth the read.. So, it’s a little contrary to our earlier bit of information but I think the fact alone that colas have entered the discussion at all, either because of phosphorus or for caffeine should be a good indicator that they shouldn’t be at all included in a healthy diet.  I think I will just kind of mosey my way around the caffeine bit and focus mainly on getting the phosphoric acid out of my diet.. I’m not strong enough to omit coffee from my life just yet - but I think I won’t have any problem avoiding the former reason…

 

Posted in Daily Living, Healthy Living, Osteoporosis | No Comments »