Slip, slop, crack: the vitamin D crisis:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/12/08/1196813083745.html
I have thought for years now about a pandemic of osteoporosis outdoing heart disease and even Diabetes Type 2. This article today gave me a new reason to confirm my prediction!
Kids drink a lot of soft drink. The caffeine in cola (and coffee) leaches calcium from the bones. The acid (dissolved carbon dioxide and phosphoric acid) in soft drink also has this effect. When salty foods are consumed the sodium carries calcium out of the kidneys in urine. More salt + more blood calcium = loss of bone density as more calcium is retrieved from the bones to maintain blood calcium level needed for muscle contraction and blood clotting... Kids drink sugar-rich fruit juices and SD instead of milk. Do they get their 3 serves of dairy a day? Not in my experience teaching 13-17 year olds!
Low-fat diet fans have cut down on their consumption of milk, yogurt and cheese so that calcium in their diets is low. Skim milk removes the cream and its vitamin D which is needed for calcium absorption and metabolism. And now people are covering up and not producing vitamin D from the sun. I remember hearing of 'sun breaks' in snowy winters when schools would let out students when the sun came out to get their ten minutes a day.
Once you present with osteoporosis there is no cure. Brittle bones break easily and pierce organs thus the person may officially die for example, from 'kidney failure'. Steel pins do not work when the broken bone is crumbling.
Weight-bearing exercise is essential for bone growth and strength and so many kids today (and adults) do not do the 30 minutes a day recommended. Bones grow until you're about 21 but the main hardening occurs by about 16. From then on do people keep up their intake of dairy to maintain strong bones?
School's out...
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/12/08/1196813083745.html
I have thought for years now about a pandemic of osteoporosis outdoing heart disease and even Diabetes Type 2. This article today gave me a new reason to confirm my prediction!
Kids drink a lot of soft drink. The caffeine in cola (and coffee) leaches calcium from the bones. The acid (dissolved carbon dioxide and phosphoric acid) in soft drink also has this effect. When salty foods are consumed the sodium carries calcium out of the kidneys in urine. More salt + more blood calcium = loss of bone density as more calcium is retrieved from the bones to maintain blood calcium level needed for muscle contraction and blood clotting... Kids drink sugar-rich fruit juices and SD instead of milk. Do they get their 3 serves of dairy a day? Not in my experience teaching 13-17 year olds!
Low-fat diet fans have cut down on their consumption of milk, yogurt and cheese so that calcium in their diets is low. Skim milk removes the cream and its vitamin D which is needed for calcium absorption and metabolism. And now people are covering up and not producing vitamin D from the sun. I remember hearing of 'sun breaks' in snowy winters when schools would let out students when the sun came out to get their ten minutes a day.
Once you present with osteoporosis there is no cure. Brittle bones break easily and pierce organs thus the person may officially die for example, from 'kidney failure'. Steel pins do not work when the broken bone is crumbling.
Weight-bearing exercise is essential for bone growth and strength and so many kids today (and adults) do not do the 30 minutes a day recommended. Bones grow until you're about 21 but the main hardening occurs by about 16. From then on do people keep up their intake of dairy to maintain strong bones?
School's out...
