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Osteoporosis Research Paper

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Osteoporosis is becoming more and more common in the present environment of fast food, drugs, and sedentary lifestyles. For example, empty-calorie foods with little nutrients are depleting body systems, such as the skeletal system, of what they really need. The National Osteoporosis Foundation suggests that approximately 54 million Americans suffer from this condition, and the numbers are expected to escalate. What can be done to help these individuals get what their body really needs? Nutrition has been a personal interest from a verily young age, and its effects are intriguing. Plus, integrative medicine, a natural approach to treatments and keeping the body healthy, is also gaining popularity. These interests and stunning numbers of osteoporosis …show more content…

In order to destroy a free radical, an antioxidant first becomes oxidative itself (Pham-Huy, He, Pham-Huy). By giving a radical one of their electrons, antioxidants can end chain reactions while still remaining stable ("Understanding Free Radicals And Antioxidants"). Antioxidants don't become free radicals even though they become oxidative because they give their unpaired electron away which leaves an even number. A chain-breaking antioxidant stabilizes newly formed free radicals, which are created when an existing radical emits or adds an electron. Preventative antioxidants function to decrease the rate of growth in the radical chains (Pham-Huy, He, Pham-Huy). Both types of antioxidants are needed for the body to maintain and develop good health. However, when there are more free radicals than antioxidants, cell disruption can occur ("Understanding Free Radicals And Antioxidants"). This is one of the reasons that it is important to eat plenty of antioxidant rich foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin, destroys free radicals as a non-enzymatic antioxidant. This means that the body can’t make vitamin C independently; it must come from an outside source, such as food or supplements (Pham-Huy, He, Pham-Huy). Vitamin C most commonly functions in cellular …show more content…

There is a constant creation of new bone to replace old bone in the body. The right balance of calcium is needed to properly build and maintain bones. Too little calcium can result in lost bone mass (Griffin). This is where calcium supplements could come into play. The purpose of calcium supplements is to balance out calcium absorption by making up for the calcium that is not obtained from food (Griffin). Calcium should primarily be acquired through food, but if a diet is lacking calcium, a supplement may be recommended by a physician. Proper calcium absorption can only take place with the assistance of nutrients, most importantly vitamins D and A (Ehrlich). Even if the right amount of calcium is being consumed, several nutrients still need to be present to actually help the bones. An example of a verily inexpensive calcium supplement is calcium carbonate. Its composition includes more elemental calcium, which is what your body actually absorbs, than other supplements, such as calcium citrate. The recommended amount of the supplement that should be consumed depends on age and health status, but it is suggested that at most 500mg be consumed at one time (Ehrlich). For example, adolescents generally need more calcium than a middle-aged adult because they are still growing. However, if calcium supplements are taken more than needed, for example, over the recommended dosage of 500mg

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Consuming too much calcium can also have negative effects to the body as well. Hypercalcemia results when the calcium levels are too high in the blood, which can lead to weakened bones, kidney stones, irregular heartbeat and headaches. Some food sources of calcium are Raisin Bran breakfast cereal, fortified orange juice, almond milk, whole milk, and

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I have also been told by my doctor that it is very important to incorporate calcium into my diet, especially at my age. I feel as though dairy has become intertwined with our society. It is known to be part of a balanced meal, and is present in the well-known food pyramid. Dairy is associated with calcium, a mineral that

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Most of these supplements have more than one ingredient in order to provide maximum health benefits. However, as one reads through the supplement labels, you will realize that the manufacturers indicate the groups of people who should take them. For instance, some are manufactured as kosher prenatal vitamins to help women go through pregnancy and still remain healthy afterwards. The vitamins included in such a product may be rich in iron and calcium. Essentially, one must be certain of the benefit to get from a specific supplement before buying

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Only 1/4 of this 80% know they have the condition and only half are being treated. The annual osteoporosis bill to the United States is $14 billion. Studies have shown that sufficient amounts of calcium and regular exercise build strong bones. While genetics play a major role in developing the risks of osteoporosis, individuals can control some factors that will help prevent the

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"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants" the first sentences of Michael Pollen’s book “In Defense of Food”. The author mentions the food to our life in a various different way. The author makes the reader to curious the critical meaning of sciences, diet and product.

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What is Vitamin D and Vitamin D Deficiency? Vitamin D is a steroid vitamin which promotes the abdominal absorption and ingestion of Ca (calcium) and P (phosphorus). Under normal conditions of an individual's exposure to sunlight, no dietary supplements are necessary because sunlight promotes sufficient vitamin D composition in the skin. Deficiency can lead to bone deformity in children and Osteomalacia in adults.

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Lee Fulkerson’s Forks Over Knives prevents a radical approach to helping America get healthy and avoid health issues such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. These health issues have plagued America since the invention of fast food and have made America one least healthiest countries in the world. However, the film’s aversion to taking modern medicines and instead relying on a plant based diet to avoid new health issues and reverse existing health made me question the practicableness of having an entirely plant based diet as the film recommends. Additionally, critics of plant based diets such as Connie Diekman at Washington University feel that plant based diets will leave the deprived of nutrients that milk and dairy provide such as calcium. However, the two academic studies I found through my own research support that a plant based diet does lower your risk of heart attack and when done right, does not leave your body lacking critical nutrients.

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Review of the Literature Chapter two 2.1. Osteopenia As Public Health Problem: An Overview Osteopenia refers to bone density that is lower than normal peak density but not low enough to be classified as osteoporosis. Bone density is a measurement of how dense and strong the bones are. If your bone density is low compared to normal peak density, you are said to have osteopenia. if there is a greater risk that, as time passes, you may develop bone density and become very low compared to normal, known as osteoporosis.

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The supplementation of vitamins is usually only necessary when there is a deficit of the vitamin in the body. When corrected, an improvement in performance is noted. Multivitamins, when supplemented, generally do not improve the performance of athletes. A well balanced diet for an athlete will generally provide the RDA for most vitamins. When an athlete took more than the RDA for essential vitamins, performance was not improved.

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People think that because they are called calcium stones, it because you have too much calcium. However, it is actually just the opposite. Your chance of getting kidney stones does not increase by consuming food or drinks high in calcium-rich

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I am attracted to Osteopathic medicine because of it’s historical holistic approach to medicine, the extra training in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) received and based on my experience of representatives of osteopathic medical students. As a physician I want to be trained to diagnose my patients based on the life influences of a person's and their environment, has on their overall health. I believe cause of many symptoms, aside from genetics, are due to the lifestyle and environment the person lives in. The extended training, can only benefit the patient and improve healthcare. Recruiters and ambassadors have also played a tremendous role in my decision to study osteopathic medicine.

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Wolves in the wild hunt large animals such as bison and deer, through this prey they obtain most of their required essential vitamins. (Wildlife, 1994) Calcium is one of their required minerals that they obtain from the bones of their prey, this is neglected in their captive diet as whole prey is not given to the wolves, so they lack the sufficient amount of bones. Instead they are given calcium supplements in the form of formulated biscuits and shanks of deer. (Zoo, 2014)

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How you ask? Milk acidifies the bodies pH and triggers biological correction. Calcium is an acid neutralizer; the biggest storage area for calcium is in our bones so when we drink milk we use calcium to neutralize the acidifying effect. Since the calcium is pulled from our bones it has to leave the body via our urine which actually leaves us with a calcium deficit. Interestingly enough studies are stating that people who drink more milk actually experience more fractures and broken bones than those who do not consume milk products.

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The same thing applies to Vitamin D pills, till now no one knows what amount is safe and an overdose would lead to HyperCalcemia , which produces Kidney stones, meddles with your heart and brain, and damages your bones. Still, Vitamin D experts are increasing the daily amount needed well aware of the risks. So, some people opt for what they consider the safest way to get Vitamin D – Food. Vitamin D is commonly found in Dairy products , fatty fish, orange juice , egg yolks…etc. Nevertheless, one requires

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If you are concerned about being able to maintain proper bone health as you age, you are definitely not alone. It has been widely suggested that osteoporosis is effecting more than ten percent of the population of western countries alone. Now you are likely thinking that you just need to consume enough dairy, like drinking milk for example, in order to maintain the best bone health but this is not the case as many studies have shown that the Vitamin A that is in milk can help the onset of osteoporosis if taken in high levels. Here are three foods that are dairy free that can assist you in maintaining great bone health and avoid the onset of osteoporosis.

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