Q: I have recently been diagnosed with osteoporosis and wondered what advice you can offer?

A: Calcium is the most prevalent mineral in the bone but other nutrients are involved in calcium absorption with magnesium playing a crucial role in the prevention and reversal of bone loss.

Include mineral rich foods in your diet; calcium, magnesium and silica are found in tinned salmon, chlorophyll rich greens, pulses, almonds and sunflower seeds. Vitamin D aids absorption of calcium and good dietary sources include egg yolk and oily fish; 20 minutes of daily sunshine will also help. Avoid fad diets and eat a healthy diet with sufficient protein, especially if you are a vegetarian.

Reduce your intake of acid-forming foods such as coffee, tea and salt which can disrupt the calcium-magnesium natural balance in your body. Developing stronger muscles through weight bearing exercise and yoga will also help protect your bones.

Take a good bone supplement containing boron to help reduce urinary excretion of both calcium and magnesium. (Osteoplus is a good combination containing calcium and magnesium citrate, zinc, boron, vitamin D3 and digestive enzymes).

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 8th, 2007 at 11:49 am and is filed under Ask Marilyn, Osteoporosis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.