To prevent osteoporosis, you can’t just talk about “calcium” | Two key steps are indispensable

This is the 3983rd article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

In modern society, people's health awareness is getting stronger and stronger, and the popularity of "osteoporosis" is also increasing. Some studies have shown that one osteoporosis patient is diagnosed every 3 seconds in the world. Although it is difficult for us to verify the truth, the "3 seconds" as a measurement standard shows how large the osteoporosis patient population is. However, it is precisely because of the large base that people are prone to misunderstandings about the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Among them, the biggest misunderstanding is "calcium supplementation" - to be precise, it is simply calcium supplementation.

We cannot generalize everything. The prevention and treatment of osteoporosis cannot be just about "calcium". Many middle-aged and elderly friends started to supplement calcium early and have taken various types of calcium tablets, but after a few years, they still developed osteoporosis. So those who "refuse to accept aging" continue to supplement calcium, going further and further on the road of "calcium supplementation", and the army of "calcium supplementation" is getting bigger and bigger... In this way, the cycle of "calcium supplementation" continues one after another with little effect.

What's the problem? Shouldn't we take calcium supplements?

The key to the problem is not "calcium" but "supplementation"! The prevention and treatment of osteoporosis is a systematic project. From the perspective of "eating", calcium supplementation alone is far from enough. For a long time, the middle-aged and elderly people in our country have neglected the supplementation of two other nutrients, which eventually led to the loss of calcium after supplementation. These two key nutrients are vitamin D and vitamin K, to be precise, vitamin D3 and vitamin K2. What is their relationship with "calcium supplementation"? We compare them to "keys" and "cars".

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The key: Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. Its main physiological function is to promote the body's absorption of calcium and phosphorus and maintain bone health. Vitamin D is like a key that opens the door for calcium in food to flow into the blood through the digestive tract. We can understand it this way: the first step of calcium supplementation, as we all know, is to eat more calcium-rich foods or take calcium supplements; the second step of calcium supplementation is to allow the rich calcium in food to enter the human blood through the digestive tract, and the sufficiency of vitamin D determines how much calcium can enter our blood. Therefore, this second step is crucial.

So how do we take this second step? There are roughly two ways, one is endogenous supplementation and the other is exogenous supplementation.

The key to endogenous supplementation is sun exposure. When sunlight shines on the skin for about 10-15 minutes, the cholesterol in our body can synthesize sufficient amounts of vitamin D under the action of organs such as the liver and kidneys. Studies have confirmed that about 90% of vitamin D is produced by this way of ultraviolet rays from the sun shining on the skin. However, due to the different sunshine time/sunshine intensity/air pollution levels in different places, the effect of sunshine is affected. At the same time, due to the gradual decline of liver and kidney function in the elderly, their ability to convert vitamin D is relatively weak. At this time, exogenous supplementation is needed.

Generally speaking, foods rich in vitamin D include animal liver/egg yolk/lean meat/milk/seafood, etc. Plant-based foods basically do not contain vitamin D. Therefore, middle-aged and elderly people should not blindly pursue "slimming in old age". They should pay attention to consuming high-quality animal foods while focusing on plant-based foods. Here, milk should be mentioned specifically. Milk is indeed a good calcium supplement. Because milk is not only rich in calcium, but also rich in vitamin D. One food meets two needs and is the first choice for dietary supplements to prevent osteoporosis.

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[Car and Paw: Vitamin K]

I just talked about the first two steps of calcium supplementation. In fact, there is a third step.

Calcium must eventually be deposited in our bones, and the calcium supplementation process is complete. Therefore, the key third step is to transfer the calcium absorbed into the blood to the bones in a timely manner. To complete the transfer of calcium from blood to bones, a "car" is needed, and this "car" is vitamin K.

Of course, once calcium enters the bones, the job is not done. Our bones need to firmly grasp the calcium and "lock" it in the bones for a long time. To achieve this effect, vitamin K needs to play the role of "claws".

In fact, studies have also found that if calcium is not supplemented properly and vitamin K is deficient, the calcium we supplement into the body cannot go to where it should go, and a large amount of calcium will be free in the blood. When too many calcium ions are deposited in the blood vessels, the risk of vascular calcification is greatly increased, and vascular calcification is one of the important manifestations of vascular diseases caused by chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, and diabetes. Therefore, vitamin K allows calcium to return to its correct position, which is not only related to the effect of calcium supplementation, but also has important significance for vascular health.

Vitamins that are so important for calcium supplementation are not difficult to obtain in life: Vitamin K is widely found in fermented foods, especially natto, which has a very high vitamin K content and plays an important role in calcium supplementation. At the same time, other fermented foods such as various cheeses also have a very high vitamin K content. Animal livers (such as chicken liver and pork liver) and egg yolks also have a high vitamin K content. It is recommended to eat them often/more often in the process of preventing and treating osteoporosis.

Bone health is not just about calcium supplementation. A multi-pronged approach is needed to restore bone youth. If necessary, you can seek help from your family doctor. In future popular science articles, we will also talk about the positive role of exercise in preventing and treating osteoporosis, and we will also share some new ideas and results with you. Please continue to pay attention.

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

Zhou XiangjunDeputy Chief Physician