There are already 44 million Americans suffering from osteoporosis, about 68 percent of whom are women. This disease is best described as the thinning of the bones or the loss of bone density. No one is spared from this. But proper diet and exercise can help diminish the risk. Avoiding sodas can be a start in preventing osteoporosis. Drinking large amounts of soda is said to decrease bone density as found out by recent studies.
Osteoporosis affects a wide cross-section of the population. For this reason, bone-strengthening drugs like Fosamax are among the list of best selling drugs in the US. Nonetheless, prevention is always better than cure, especially if it means that affected men and women might have to deal with the unwanted side effects of certain drugs.
In the interest of preventing osteoporosis, there is always a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D. Good sources of calcium are low-fat and soy milk, cheese, cereals and yogurt. For example, the required 40% daily calcium need can be obtained through ingesting eight ounces of yogurt.
Lactase-deficient patients, or those who are lactose intolerant, can get amounts of calcium from canned goods (with bones) like sardines and salmon, broccoli and spinach. If a lactose intolerant wants to achieve a third of his daily calcium need, three ounces of sardines (canned in oil) can provide it. Lactose intolerant people may get cramps from milk, orange juice fortified with calcium can be a substitute.
Vitamin D requirement can easily be achieved by a tablespoon of fish liver oil. Meeting the need for vitamin D can be fully achieved with three ounces of cooked salmon or the flesh of a fatty fish. A 30-minute, five-times exposure to sun between 10 AM and 3 PM twice a week is even enough.
People with sedentary lifestyle tend to have higher chances of suffering from osteoporosis.A sedentary lifestyle must be changed as it is prone to osteoporosis suffering. It is always advisable to be a bit energetic. Mobility is necessary to keep the bones healthy. Here, we can see how important regular exercise is.
Some doctors give Fosamax to their patients as prophylaxis to osteoporosis. Right now, things are slowly turning a different turn as Fosamax prescriptions are slown decreasing perhaps due to people filing a Fosamax lawsuit. An important lesson to be learned about this is to always research about the drug before using it.
References:
http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/soda-osteoporosis
http://www.ctds.info/osteoporosis-diet.html