Osteoporosis and fractures

Calcium is one of the most common and common minerals in the human body. About 99% of the body's calcium can be found in bones and teeth. Calcium not only plays an essential role for bone development, but also plays an important role in maintaining muscle activity, blood circulation, signaling to nerve cells and helping to inhibit some sizes. hormones (hormones)

The disease is silent

Osteoporosis is a disease in which the force of the bone is weakened and the structure of the bone deteriorates, leading to the condition of the bones becoming brittle, easily broken when colliding with an opposing force, such as falling. The bones that are often broken are the spine bones, femur, neck of the femur and hand bones. Fractures of the ribs and pelvis are also common in older patients, and may also be a consequence of osteoporosis. In many cases, the bone is broken but there is no apparent appearance, and the sufferer is unaware. Therefore, osteoporosis is also called a "silent disease."

Partly because of this ' silently ' characteristic, osteoporosis is therefore a very common disease in the community, especially in the elderly. In our country, an epidemiological study shows that about 20% of women over 60 have osteoporosis symptoms. This is understandable, because according to the data of the Institute of Nutrition, Vietnamese diets are currently averaging only 800-1,000 mg / adult.

Men also have broken bones, but the risk of fractures in men is not as high as women. According to epidemiological studies in white people, 1 in 2 women who live up to 85 years of age have a broken bone, and 1 in 3 men who live at the same age will have a broken bone. These frequencies are equivalent to the frequency of heart disease and cancer. Indeed, the risk of femoral fractures in women is equivalent to the risk of breast cancer.

Osteoporosis is a complex disease with many causes and risk factors. The risk of osteoporosis is partly hereditary, and partly due to environmental factors (such as eating, physical activity) as well as hormones. All of these factors are related to the amount of minerals and bone quality in the human body.

Calcium and osteoporosis

Workshop on osteoporosis

The HCM City Women's Union will hold a strong ' Bone-hold for the youthful ' seminar on July 29 at Duxton Hotel (District 1) under the sponsorship of Calcium Sandoz (Switzerland).

At this conference, Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong - President of Ho Chi Minh City Endocrinology and Infertility Association - will introduce measures to prevent osteoporosis for menopausal women.

Readers want to attend the workshop or want to consult, contact Tel: 08.8226301.

Calcium supplementation is effective in reducing bone loss in postmenopausal women. A clinical study on menopausal women for at least 6 years and they were given 500 mg of calcium daily for 2 years showed that calcium was able to reduce or stop the rate of bone loss in the spine, thighs and arm bone. Another study that monitored women with normal health for three years also showed that calcium supplementation with a dose of 1,000 mg daily was effective in reducing the loss of femur and stopping the spinal bone loss.

Many studies also show that calcium supplements are effective in reducing the risk of fractures in postmenopausal women. A clinical study in men and women aged 65 and older concluded that calcium supplementation of 500 mg daily and 700 IU vitamin D within 3 years effectively reduced the risk of fracture by 46%.

In short, calcium is a very important mineral not only for bone but also for regulating the endocrine system of the human body. Therefore, in European and American countries, people are encouraged to eat and drink so that the body receives from 1,000 to 1,500 mg daily. But in fact, European and American people only receive about 700-800 mg daily. In our country, there is no official data on calcium status, but malnutrition and micronutrient status in children tend to be severe. Therefore, it can be deduced that calcium deficiency in our population is no different, if not more serious, in European and American countries.

Dr. NGUYEN VAN TUAN