Young man, you have been "targeted" by osteoporosis!

This is the 4751th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

Recently, the Internet buzzword "crispy college students" has frequently appeared in front of people. If a certain food has a "crispy skin", it must be delicious. But if "crispy skin" is used to describe people, especially to describe contemporary young people, then it is not optimistic! I also searched it specifically, and "crispy college students" refers to contemporary young people who, although young, have many physical problems and are so fragile that they "break at the slightest touch", and have the "crispy skin phenomenon". This is how it is described online:

"I ate sliced ​​noodles. They were so delicious. I was so excited that my heart rate went up to 180."

"I was stretching and my neck broke..."

"Fried a sausage for myself and got second degree burns."

"I was watching short videos and trying not to laugh. My nasal artery ruptured. I couldn't stop the bleeding and was sent to the hospital..."

"Playing with the phone while lying on your side, diagnosed with strabismus."......

Such unexpected and hilarious accidental injuries are spreading like wildfire on social media. Behind the laughter, as a doctor, I am deeply worried. The word "fragile" shows how fragile the bodies of young people are now. Among these "fragile college students", perhaps many have been "targeted" by osteoporosis. Young people, if you don't make some changes, osteoporosis will really "take over"!

【Anxiety, worrying reality】

Many people believe that osteoporosis is a disease of middle-aged and elderly people. Indeed, it is more common in middle-aged and elderly people, especially postmenopausal women.

However, modern young people often sit for long periods of time, travel by car, are all VIPs of food delivery platforms, stay at home on weekends to watch TV series, and communicate online instead of meeting offline. Many people have signs of osteoporosis at a young age. After the age of 35, especially women, the risk of osteoporosis increases due to changes in hormone levels in the body, calcium loss, unscientific dieting, etc. There are endless cases of young people who have been diagnosed with osteoporosis after seeking medical treatment for fractures.

Young college students and white-collar workers, you can ask yourself, do you smoke more than 10 cigarettes a day? Do you drink more than 3 cups of coffee or strong tea a day? Do you eat heavy, salty, or greasy food? Do you like to drink cola and other carbonated drinks? Do you go out for a drink when you have nothing to do? If your answer is yes, then you really need to worry about your bone mass.

[Take advantage of now to save more bone mass]

Why should you save more bone mass now? You will understand from the picture below.

(Photo source: Chinese Medical Association)

Did you see that? Around the age of 35, a person's bone mass reaches its "peak". Then it enters a period of bone loss. This is like your "little piggy bank". The more you save in normal times, the more you will have in difficult times. Think about it, isn't the ability of "moonlight tribe" to resist risks very weak?

However, how high can your "peak" bone mass be? This depends largely on your dietary nutrition intake and your lifestyle around the age of 35. Only with a healthier lifestyle and more comprehensive nutrition intake, your "peak" bone mass will be higher. This picture has clearly told everyone: prevention is important for the treatment of osteoporosis.

In fact, we have three levels of prevention for osteoporosis:

Primary prevention

Start from a young age and eat more foods rich in trace elements. The more nutrients you deposit into the "bone bank" before the age of 35, the lower the risk of osteoporosis in the future and the later the age of onset.

Secondary prevention

Postmenopausal women should have annual physical examinations to assess bone density, detect osteoporosis early and take proactive measures as soon as possible, such as taking calcium supplements or anti-osteoporosis drugs, to slow down the rate of bone loss.

Three-level prevention

People who have already developed osteoporosis should strengthen preventive measures against falls and collisions, such as wearing non-slip shoes, installing handrails in key locations at home, and using the floor more often. For fractures that have already occurred, active treatment and rehabilitation should be sought.

In summary, for the prevention of osteoporosis, on the one hand, the earlier the better, the earlier the benefits; on the other hand, if you don’t have the awareness of bone health management when you are young, you should not “break the jar and break the jar” when you are middle-aged. Always remember that “it is never too late to mend the fold after the sheep have been lost”. Doing is better than not doing, using is better than not using, and having is better than not having. Preventive measures at every stage are meaningful.

[Don't delay, eat these things right away]

1. Milk

It is called "natural calcium tablet". The relevant dietary guidelines recommend drinking about 300 grams of milk (preferably pasteurized milk) or consuming a considerable amount of dairy products every day. This can almost meet 1/3 of the calcium requirement for the whole day. If you are lactose intolerant, that is, people who have diarrhea after drinking milk, you can choose 0 lactose milk, yogurt or cheese. However, pay attention to the sugar content of yogurt and the calories of cheese.

The calcium content of dairy products per 100 grams is ranked as follows:

Third place: milk. Calcium content: 107 mg;

Runner-up: Yogurt. Calcium content: 128 mg;

Champion: Cheese. Calcium: 799 mg.

It’s true what the saying goes – what is concentrated is the essence.

2. Dark green vegetables

It is also rich in calcium, and it is often an easily overlooked "calcium supplement expert". Dark green vegetables not only contain calcium, but also vitamin K, which is an important part of calcium deposition in bones. It is recommended to eat about half a pound of dark vegetables every day to get a better calcium supplement effect. However, some dark green vegetables, such as spinach and amaranth, contain more oxalic acid, which will affect the absorption of calcium and need to be blanched before consumption. Then we recommend some vegetables with low oxalic acid content but high calcium content.

The calcium content of dark green vegetables per 100 grams is ranked as follows:

Third place: rapeseed. Calcium content: 153 mg;

Runner-up: Wutacai. Calcium content: 186 mg;

Champion: Mustard Greens. Calcium: 230 mg.

3. Soy products

Soy products are not inferior to the first two, and the calcium supplementation ability of some soy products is seriously underestimated. The key is that soy products can not only supplement calcium, but also provide high-quality protein. It is recommended to eat soy products produced from 25 to 35 grams of soybeans (about the amount of a handful of soybeans) every day to achieve the goal. The calcium supplement list of soy products is presented to you.

The calcium content of soy products per 100 grams is ranked as follows:

Third place: Southern tofu (gypsum tofu). Calcium content: 113 mg;

Runner-up: 1000 sheets (100 pages). Calcium content: 313 mg;

Champion: Dried tofu. Calcium content: 447 mg.

As I said before - what is concentrated is the essence!

How about it, have you memorized the list? Of course, there are other high-calcium ingredients, which will be introduced to you in the future.

Young people, if you have finished reading this article, please put down your mobile phone or pad, go out of the house, stretch your muscles under the sunshine. Walk quickly to the market or supermarket, buy a bottle of fresh milk, pick a pound of dark green vegetables, cut two taels of tofu... an economical and affordable calcium supplement meal is about to be served!

Author: Xinjing Town Community Health Service Center, Changning District, Shanghai

Zhou XiangjunDeputy Chief Physician