Originally published July 12 2005
Advice from Miami Herald dietician on osteoporosis
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
In her latest column for the Miami Herald, dietitian Sheah Rarback advises one reader that osteoporosis is a health risk for men as well as women, and that cherries -- although not thoroughly covered by the media -- are a fruit bursting with health benefits.
Q: My mother is very careful about getting enough calcium in order to prevent osteoporosis, but my father refuses to take a supplement or change his diet.
Are men also at risk for osteoporosis?
A: When we think of osteoporosis our image is a bent-over elderly lady.
We need to change that visual since one in every eight men over the age of 50 will suffer a hip fracture because of osteoporosis.
Despite the large numbers, few men are screened for this disease.
A man's risk of osteoporosis is increased with steroid use, low testosterone levels, or if he has a chronic disease that alters hormone levels.
Lifestyle habits that increase the risk of osteoporosis for men are smoking, excessive alcohol intake, low calcium intake and inadequate physical activity.
I suggest your parents follow the same plan for preventing this potentially debilitating disease.
Up to age 50, they need 1,000 mg of calcium a day and 1,200 mg after age 50.
In addition to eating calcium rich foods, both dairy and nondairy, they might want to consider a calcium supplement that contains vitamin D and other bone enhancing nutrients.
Q: I'm seeing cherries in the stores and I like them, but I never see them mentioned in articles about healthy fruits.
A: Cherries taste great and add many health-promoting nutrients to a fruit platter, yogurt sundae or grilled fish or chicken.
As for phytochemicals, cherries contain quercetin and anthocyanins.
Consumption of quercetin rich foods is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease and possibly lung cancer.
Anthocyanins are the pigments that make cherries red and probably play a major role in the high antioxidant activity levels observed in red and blue fruits and vegetables.
Life with a bowl of cherries will be healthier.
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