Today’s Power Tips are from the Interdisciplinary Symposium on Osteoporosis
I recently returned from the Interdisciplinary Symposium on Osteoporosis in Chicago sponsored by the National Osteoporosis Foundation. There are two tips that I would like to share with you.
Power Tip #5 – Get your calcium from food
Recently, several studies have questioned the safety of calcium supplements on cardiovascular health. Conference experts felt that the evidence against calcium supplements was inconclusive at the present time. Their recommendations were to avoid high calcium intakes, minimize the use of calcium supplements, and get as much calcium as you can from food. I was happy to hear that the physicians were in agreement with my philosophy of eating food that is rich in calcium and other bone-strengthening vitamins and minerals.
Some easy ways to increase your calcium intake are to add chia seeds, black sesame seeds, beans, and leafy green vegetables to your diet. As I discuss in my program, it is extremely important to have adequate magnesium, vitamin D, vitamin K, and other nutrients to insure proper calcium absorption.
Power Tip #6 – Do not take strontium citrate
Strontium citrate is a supplement claiming to improve bone health. Extensive research by Dr. Sarah Morgan showed that there is no compelling evidence or long-term human studies demonstrating strontium citrate’s efficacy or safety. She does not recommend its use. The real problem is that taking strontium citrate can give you a false bone density test result. Your DXA score can improve without an actual reduction in fracture risk. This may alter your management.
It is important that you let your doctor or healthcare provider know if you are taking or have taken strontium citrate. You should also check any supplement you are taking to see if strontium citrate is an ingredient. Dr. Morgan tried contacting several of the companies that sell strontium citrate only to find out that they could not substantiate their claims. The story of strontium citrate reminds us to verify the validity of any claims made before using a new health product.
I hope you find these tips helpful. If you are interested in learning more about natural food sources of calcium and other bone nutrients, please join my POWER Method for Healthy Bones聽webinar series.
Lastly, in case you missed it, check out last week’s Power Tip:
Power Tip #004 | Crowd Out Sugar
