Experts reveal the truth about 9 major rumors about osteoporosis

Medical data show that 50% of osteoporosis patients do not have any symptoms before a fracture occurs, so osteoporosis is also called the "silent killer" and it is particularly harmful to middle-aged and elderly people.

Today, let us work together to crush these 9 major rumors about osteoporosis and restore the truth.

1. Will drinking purified water cause decalcification and osteoporosis? There is no causal relationship between the two!

The calcium ion concentration in human body fluids is relatively balanced. Whether it is pure water or mineral water, daily drinking water has little effect on the calcium ion concentration in the human body. The main factors leading to calcium loss are age, hormone levels and dietary intake, which have nothing to do with drinking pure water.

2. Does eating vinegar easily cause osteoporosis? Quite the opposite!

First, after vinegar is absorbed into the human blood, it will oxidize into carbon dioxide and water, and it is impossible to "dissolve bones". Secondly, vinegar can help people with low stomach acid to convert insoluble calcium in food into ions, which is beneficial for calcium absorption. Not only that, aged vinegar itself contains a high amount of calcium.

3. Will eating bitter melon cause osteoporosis? Exaggeration!

Oxalic acid does affect calcium metabolism. Excessive consumption can lead to reduced bone density and even combine with calcium to form kidney stones. However, it is not advisable to talk about the harm without considering the dosage. The content of oxalic acid in bitter melon is not high, and oxalic acid is not the main factor leading to calcium loss. Therefore, it is obviously an exaggeration to blame osteoporosis on "eating bitter melon".

4. Can drinking bone soup prevent osteoporosis? No!

Calcium is insoluble in water. Even if it is stewed at high temperature, the calcium in the bones will hardly be present in the bone soup. Even if a large amount of vinegar is added during the cooking process to dissolve the calcium as much as possible, the calcium content is negligible. Bone soup not only lacks vitamin D that promotes calcium absorption, but is also rich in fat, purine and salt, which is not worth the cost.

5. Can soy milk replace milk to supplement calcium and prevent osteoporosis? It cannot completely replace milk!

In terms of calcium supplementation, milk is better. Soybeans are indeed rich in calcium, but after being ground into soy milk, the calcium content is diluted to 10 mg/100 g, which is only 1/10 of milk. The benefit of soy milk to bones is that it can provide phytoestrogens to reduce calcium loss in women.

6. Is osteoporosis a disease unique to the elderly? It is not a disease exclusive to the elderly!

Osteoporosis is not "exclusive" to the elderly. If one neglects exercise in youth, has an unbalanced diet, resulting in low calcium intake and thin body, and does not reject bad habits, and fails to achieve the ideal peak bone volume and quality, some special types of osteoporosis may "find" young people.

7. Will you not suffer from osteoporosis if your blood calcium is normal? Not necessarily!

Blood calcium level is not a diagnostic criterion for osteoporosis. Normal blood calcium does not mean normal calcium in the bones. In primary osteoporosis, blood calcium level is usually normal. Even when calcium deficiency occurs due to insufficient calcium intake, the body will release the reserve calcium in the bones into the blood calcium, or regulate the action of multiple hormones to maintain blood calcium within the normal range.

8. Treating osteoporosis is equivalent to taking calcium supplements? More than that!

Generally speaking, osteoporosis is caused by abnormal bone metabolism. The reasons include that the influence of osteoclasts in the human body is greater than that of osteoblasts, and the rate of bone absorption exceeds the rate of bone formation. Therefore, the treatment of osteoporosis is not simply calcium supplementation, but comprehensive treatment to increase bone mass and enhance bone strength.

9. Osteoporosis patients are prone to fractures, so it is better to stay still than to move? They must exercise moderately!

Maintaining normal bone density and strength requires constant exercise stimulation. Lack of exercise will cause bone loss. Physical exercise plays a positive role in preventing osteoporosis. If you do not pay attention to exercise, your muscle strength will decrease and the stimulation to your bones will decrease. This will not only accelerate osteoporosis, but also affect the flexibility of your joints, making it easy to fall and induce fractures.

Source: Comprehensive China Center for Disease Control and Prevention official Weibo, Xinhuanet, Life Times, etc.

This article was reviewed by Ruan Guangfeng, Director of the Science and Technology Communication Department of the China Science and Technology Information Exchange Center

(Editor: Rui Jing)

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