Magnesium In Food

Protect Your Bones with Calcium-Rich Foods

Twenty years ago, at the age of 94, my grandmother fell in her apartment and fractured her hip. She had surgery, never regained her mobility and died a few weeks later from complications. Watching this once active, robust woman deteriorate so rapidly was heartbreaking.  Little did I know at the time, that according to a report published by the Institute of Optimum Nutrition, in Britain, every three minutes someone suffers from a fracture as a result of osteoporosis.

Though National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month has passed, the need to stay cognizant of its causes, and ramifications, still remains critical. In his 2004 report, the US Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona, predicted that by 2020,  half  of all American citizens older than 50 will be at risk for fractures from osteoporosis and low bone mass creating a serious public health crisis, driving up healthcare costs and human suffering.

Background

Osteoporosis occurs primarily in postmenopausal women due to estrogen loss--when bone breakdown exceeds formation—but, osteoporosis, low bone mass and fractures are not just a problem of the aged.

According to a report published in 2003 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, fracture incidence among younger people increased 32 percent among boys and 56 percent among girls compared to their parents’ generation. This is likely due to several modern day practices of the young:

1.    Higher intake of juice and soda, with a decrease in milk and dairy food consumption

2.    Decrease in physical activity

3.    Increase in incidence of overweight and obesity  

4.    High rate of smoking and alcohol consumption

The fact remains that people who don’t get proper nutrition, don’t exercise and don’t get 15 minutes a day of sun exposure (for vitamin D) are at risk too. This includes men and women with eating disorders, people who engage in frequent and  excessive  exercise, individuals with lactose intolerance, vegetarians, and children who need to take steroids for chronic illness such as asthma.  There is no cure for this disease. Prevention is key, and that needs to start with the young, before puberty sets in.

What You Need To Know

Ninety-nine percent of your body's calcium is stored in your bones and teeth. Bones are constantly under construction (remodeling), building up and breaking down bone tissue to make new bone. Cells known as osteoclasts are responsible for breaking down bone tissue and releasing minerals to the blood while osteoblasts use the calcium and nutrients in the foods you eat to build new bone.

Magnesium was the mineral most highlighted at today's Food as ...

The first day of the conference validated the work I do.  Much of what was presented supports my approach to nutrition and wellness.  Yay~

Much was discussed today, but magnesium was a mineral that kept coming up in each of the guest speakers’ presentations.

Her are some highlights:

Supports nervous system function – may even act like lithum for depression

Autisitc spectrum children are deficient in this mineral

It is the anti-stress mineral

There is a deficiency of magniseum and other minerals in our food supply.

The Magnesium Miracle

Magnesium-a plant food, essays on the problem of magnesium fertilization

Magnesium - a plant food, Essays on the problem of magnesium fertilization

Advanced nutrition and human metabolism

Foods & nutrition encyclopedia