在看顧家中長輩時, 常聽見他們分享哪位老人家跌倒或摔倒, 結果把骨頭給跌斷了. 我想起家裡外婆那邊有的骨質疏鬆遺傳, 不禁開始擔心自己是否也有這樣的發展傾向. 加強能增加骨密度的飲食跟適度運動是絕對必要的了. While taking care of my parents at home, I often hear them sharing stories about someone who fell and ended up breaking a bone or two. It kinda reminds me that osteoporosis runs in my grandmother’s side of the family, and I started to worry I might also be prone to developing it. I guess changing my diet to increase bone density and engaging in exercise are absolutely necessary now.
以下來自約翰霍普金斯藥學組織的介紹 The following is the brief intro from Johns Hopkins Medicine:
Osteoporosis, literally “porous bone,” is a disease that thins the framework inside bones so much that even a minor fall or bump against a car door or piece of furniture may cause a fracture. A break can happen at any spot on your skeleton, but fractures of the wrist, hip and spine are among the most common.
Keeping your bones strong is a smart goal at any age. But a fracture-proof frame becomes a bigger priority in the decades after age 50, when weakened bones lead to breaks for one in two women and one in five men. Fortunately, there are plenty of steps you can take at home and with your doctor’s help to protect against painful fractures that can reduce your independence and, surprisingly, even increase your risk of dying due to medical complications.
文中提及男人跟女人都會有這樣的問題產生. 如果本身飲食缺乏足夠的D, 鈣, 鉀跟蛋白質, 以及平時有高危險因素的生活型態因素(少動, 抽菸, 過量飲酒, 缺乏雌激素/睪固酮等), 便容易造成骨密度下降進而變成骨質疏鬆症. 其中以女性由於更年期賀爾蒙驟降更容易出現這樣的症狀. The passage above mentions that both men and women would have such problems. If their diet lacks sufficient vitamin D, calcium, potassium, and protein, and if they lead a lifestyle with high-risk factors such as lack of exercise, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and deficiencies in estrogen/testosterone, it can easily lead to decreased bone density and consequently osteoporosis. Among these factors, women are more prone to showing such symptoms due to the sudden decline in hormones during menopause.
不過也不用太過擔心. 骨密低下是可以改善的. 如上述所說, 補足身體需要的D, 鈣, 鉀與蛋白質, 減少咖啡因與酒精攝取, 戒菸, 還有每天15-20分鐘的規律運動(走路, 有氧, 或是負重訓練等)來刺激訓練骨力, 就可以有效提升骨密度喔! 我常做的小運動是開合跳跟原地跳繩, 這兩個間單的運動是利用自身體重來達到負重運動的效果, 簡單又容易做, 也分享給大家. The good news is that there’s no need to worry too much. Low bone density can be improved! As mentioned earlier, supplementing with adequate vitamin D, calcium, potassium, and protein, reducing caffeine and alcohol intake, quitting smoking, and engaging in regular exercise for 15-20 minutes a day (such as walking, aerobic exercise, or strength training) to stimulate bone strength training can effectively increase bone density. I want to share a simple exercise I often do: jumping jacks and jumping rope. These two exercises use your own body weight to achieve the effects of strength training. They are easy to do any time any place each day when you are free.
另外有一個有趣的觀念來自一位台灣的醫生在youtube中分享到吃褪黑激素對增加骨密有幫助. 在一篇早安健康網站介紹褪黑激素也提到除了調節睡眠跟穩定睡眠品質, 褪黑激素也能抗氧化, 預防失智, 抑制骨頭的新陳代謝失衡, 進而預防骨質疏鬆的問題產生.由於褪黑激素產生的原料色胺酸不能由身體自身合成, 因此在 身體內補足褪黑激素, 從飲食中補充獲取製造褪黑激素的原材料色胺酸是非常重要的. 可以多吃鮭魚鮪魚, 牛豬跟火雞肉, 豆類(尤以黃豆更多), 另外還有鳳梨, 香蕉, 橘子, 開心果, 酸櫻桃以及阿拉比卡低咖啡因咖啡等都可以防止骨質疏鬆. 另一篇文中也提到每天如果能在最適合曬太陽的時間裡曬個十分鐘的太陽, 也有助合成褪黑激素喔! I also came across a video on YouTube from a Taiwanese doctor who mentioned that melatonin supplements may help increase bone density. An article on the Good Morning Health website also mentions that besides regulating sleep and stabilizing sleep quality, melatonin also possesses antioxidant properties, helps prevent dementia, and inhibits the imbalance in bone metabolism, thereby preventing osteoporosis. Since the precursor of melatonin, tryptophan, cannot be synthesized by the body itself, it’s crucial to supplement melatonin internally and obtain tryptophan, which is essential for producing melatonin, from diet. Foods rich in tryptophan include salmon, tuna, beef, pork, turkey, legumes (especially soybeans), as well as pineapple, bananas, oranges, pistachios, sour cherries, and decaffeinated Arabica coffee can all help prevent osteoporosis. Another article also suggests that exposing yourself to the sun for about ten minutes during the optimal time for sun exposure each day can also help in synthesizing melatonin. 🙂
希望我們都能擁有健康的老年. Hope with all these tips and actions, we can age well over the years.
Darcy Loves 2 Share : 搭喜愛分享 