🪷 BONE DENSITY & MENOPAUSE
As Oestrogen levels decrease through the menopause bone density also decreases and the risk of breaks and osteoporosis becomes more prevalent.
On average, women lose up to 10% of their bone density in the first 5 years after menopause.
At approximately age 44, women begin to lose 0.4% of their bone mineral density each year and it is estimated that 40% of women will experience a bone break or fracture due to reducing bone osteoporotic density during their menopausal years.
This can lead to extreme pain and in some cases even disabilities or death.
But there are steps you can take to protect your body and reduce your risk of injury due to declining bone density.
EXERCISE
Starting exercise at any age is great, but I recommend that every woman begins strength based training from the age of 35 to ensure they maintain optimum bone density and mass.
And incredibly, recent research has actually shown that it’s possible to increase bone density even in post menopausal women.
The best form or exercise is strength or resistance training
NUTRITION
Consume a diet in high protein from pure sources, plus plenty of vegetables and calcium rich foods
Protein makes up around 50% of your bones so ensuring you consume enough is vital
Read my blog on protein here
Calcium; older women require 1,200 mg per day but if you consume over 500mg per meal, your body will struggle to absorb it. So ensure you spread your calcium intake throughout the day.
Consume foods high in Omega 3 fatty acids which reduce inflammation and support the development of new bone mass and protects against further bone density loss.
SUPPLEMENTS
Collagen: Ensure you are taking a good collagen supplement, the best is bovine hydrolysed peptides (if you are pescatarian, opt for marine collagen but if you are animal product free or vegan, there are lots of great products on the market but may not be as effective as bovine collagen)
Vit D & Vit K: Get Plenty of Vitamin D and Vitamin K, the best natural sources are obviously sunlight, (try to get outside in the daylight every day even in grey, rainy days) green leafy veg such as broccoli, kale, spinach as well as oily fish such as sardines, mackerel and tuna
Magnesium & Zinc: Magnesium is a main player when it comes to your body converting vitamin D that actively aids calcium absorption and zinc is a trace mineral found in bones.
Although traces of magnesium and zinc can be found in foods, I recommend my clients take a good quality supplement
CALORIES
Avoid low calorie diets as these not only slow your metabolic rate, increases sarcopenia (age related muscle loss) which in turn is harmful to bone health
So ensure you consume a healthy diet of no less than 1200 calories per day
Bone health is vital at all stages in life but as women pass through the menopause, it becomes more apparent and important to protect and support
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