When it comes to healthy bones, are you getting the full picture?
It takes more then just calcium to build healthy bones
By Dairy Nutrition Council of Alberta, August 2000.

With an increased interest in calcium, some companies have started adding it to their products. While this is a great first step in reducing the incidence of osteoporosis, the fact is, you need more then calcium for strong bones.

Calcium works with five bone-building nutrients: vitamins A and D, phosphorus, magnesium and protein. Although calcium is associated with healthy bones, vitamin D is also important because it is needed for calcium's absorption. Having enough vitamin D in your diet triples calcium adsorption. Phosphorus is second only to calcium as a major part of bone. Magnesium is also a key part of bone. Vitamin A, another bone-building nutrient, helps break down old bone and replace it with new bones. Finally, protein contributes to the building of a healthy bone structure.

Drinking milk is like one-stop shopping for healthy bones. Milk delivers a unique combination of bone-building nutrients. When you eat two to four servings of milk products each day as recommended by Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating you're getting most of the nutrients you need for healthy bones.

Researches caution that supplements or foods fortified with extra vitamins and minerals cannot replace a healthy diet. According to Dr. Heaney, a world-renowned calcium researcher with Creighton University, Omaha, NE, "Diets low in calcium are found to be low in at least four other essential nutrients, so it's important that the other nutrients not be neglected."

To get all the calcium and bone building nutrients you need, choose 2-4 servings of milk products according to Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating.

Bone Facts


• Bones are living tissues. Your bones are like a bank account where you deposit and withdraw bone tissue.
• Osteoporosis means porous bone. It develops when your bone withdrawals occur too quickly or when bone deposits occur too slowly.
• It is important to maximize your bone deposits in your teen years, but it is never to late to maintain your bone mass.
• Osteoporosis occurs in 1 in 4 Canadian women over the age of 50, and in 1 in 8 Canadian men.
• Getting enough bone-building nutrients, together with physical exercise helps to keep bones strong and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.

--------------------

Back to Health Living