Except for calcium, surprisingly little research has been done on the benefits of nutrition for osteoporosis.
A new study in the journal Menopause changes that. It reveals extremely powerful nutrition that can lower your risk of osteoporosis by a whopping 44%.
Best of all, you can get plenty of this nutrition from common foods in your local supermarket.
The researchers examined the dietary habits of 1,157 premenopausal and 2,261 postmenopausal women aged 40 and above. They assessed nutrient intake using two 24-hour dietary recalls and the CDAI, which measures the consumption of beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, selenium, zinc, copper, and iron.
They defined osteoporosis as a bone density score of 2.5 or lower or a participant reporting having osteoporosis. They then used statistical models to find any associations.
This is what they found:
-
1. Postmenopausal women who scored in the top 25% on antioxidant intake were 44% less likely to develop osteoporosis than those who scored in the bottom 25%.
2. Postmenopausal women who scored in the second 25% on antioxidant intake were 36% less likely to develop osteoporosis than those who scored in the bottom 25%.
3. With regard to specific nutrients, women who scored in the top 25% in intake of beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron had the lowest risk of osteoporosis.
Therefore, since the dietary antioxidant index is linked with a lower risk of osteoporosis in women who have gone through menopause, it is a good idea to eat a mix of antioxidant nutrients to lower your chances of getting this bone disorder.
Where do you get your antioxidants? From nutrient-rich fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes. The stronger the color is, the more antioxidants there usually are.