22 TopSanté Facebook.com/ TopSanteMagazine @ TopS a n t eUK
McMaster University in Canada. Dietary
calcium is also better at strengthening the
bones than supplemental calcium and it
doesn’t take a lot to get positive results – a
daily serving of cheese or yogurt is associated
with a 10-15 per cent reduction in risk, while
drinking just one glass of milk a day reduces
the risk of hip fracture by nine per cent.
It’s important to mix up your sources of
calcium though – a high intake of cow’s milk
(more than three glasses a day) has been
linked to an increase risk of bone fracture –
and in some people it may raise inflammation
leading experts to suggest that we focus on
fermented sources of dairy such as yogurt,
which haven’t been linked to this increase
in risk.
There’s also a school of thought that claims
dairy is bad for your bones as countries with
low intakes of it, such as Japan, also have low
levels of osteoporosis. However, they also
have radically different diets than Western
countries in other ways apart from dairy
consumption. Therefore, if you really want to
maximise your bone and heart health in the
healthiest way, don’t only rely on drinking
milk but mix things up. On top of that, here
are a few extra things you can do...
1
add more bones To your dieT
This was the suggestion of a team of
us researchers in a paper weighing
up the heart vs bone health issue.
Their argument was that the soft
bones you find in canned fish, whitebait and
bone broths contain a form of calcium called
calcium hydroxyapatite. This is the same
type your bones are made from and this –
plus the fact it’s delivered with supporting
nutrients of magnesium, phosphorus, zinc
and copper – might mean it’s better for
bones than other types of calcium. calcium
hydroxyapatite has also been shown to
stimulate the activity of osteoblast cells,
which slow in activity as you get older.2
WaTCh your salT inTake
sodium is linked to an increased
rate of calcium excretion and
therefore poorer bone health.
don’t add refined salt when
cooking, cut back on naturally salty foods
such as pickles, olives and soy sauce,
watch levels in processed foods and read
the labels of bread and cereals (pick
products marked green for sodium).
ideally consume less than 2.4g of sodium
(or 6g of salt) a day.3
be Careful if you’re vegan:
studies examining bone mass have
found that vegans have lower bone
density than those who eat meat.
Yes, dark green leafy vegetables,
tofu and some fruits such as rhubarb and
figs contain calcium, but ingredients called
oxalic and phytic acid also found in some
leafy veg, seeds and pulses, can reduce the
amount of calcium absorbed, so you might
want to use a supplement. ‘Take a
multivitamin not an individual calcium
supplement,’ says dr derbyshire. ‘calcium
works better in conjunction with other
nutrients including vitamins d and k.’ also,
consume plant-based milks or other foods
fortified with calcium as these don’t appear
to have the same possible risk as
supplements.4
don’T sTop presCribed pills
The link between supplements
and heart health hasn’t been
proven – but we know calcium
does support bones. ‘if your
doctor has put you on supplements
because you are at risk of osteoporosis,
stay on them,’ says dr derbyshire. TsOne in 20
people in
their fifties
consumes
less than
the advised
700mg
a day of
calcium.