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♦ WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2006 6C Support your bones with healthy habits By Dixie Farley FDA Consumer writer Unearthed skeletons from ancient times testify to the durability of bone long after other bodily tissue turns to dust. Living bone in the body, however, can lose min eral and fracture easily if neglected-a disorder called osteoporosis, or porous bones. One in two women and one in eight men over 50 suffer such fractures, includ ing sometimes life-threaten ing hip fractures. But during your preteen and teenage years, you can reduce your risk of fractured bones later in life with cal cium-rich foods and physical activity. Bone behavior Your body’s 206 living bones continually undergo a buildup, breakdown process called remodeling. The body starts to form most of its bone mass before puberty, the beginning of sexual development, build ing 75 to 85 percent of the skeleton during adolescence. Women reach their peak bone mass by around age 25 to 30, while men build bone until about age 30 to 35. The amount of peak bone mass you reach depends largely on your genes. Then gradu ally, with age, the break down outpaces the buildup, and in late middle age bone density lessens when needed calcium is withdrawn from bone for such tasks as blood clotting and muscle contrac tions, including beating by the heart. “You can’t do anything about the genesyou’re dealt,’’ says Mona Calvo, Ph.D., a calcium expert for the Food and Drug Administration. “As a teenager, though, you can make the most of things you do control that can build your bones and help reduce the risk of fractures when MEAT From page iC juice and broth; replace chicken. Bring to simmer over high heat; reduce to low and let stew for 15 minutes. While stew is simmering, pee! pearl onions and pota toes. Cut potatoes into 1- inch chunks and cut corn into 2-inch chunks; slice squash. Stir onions, pota toes, corn, squash and sage into stew; cook for 15 more minutes. Season with salt and remaining pepper; serve immediately in wide, shal low bowls. Smoky sausage and beans on rice 1 package (14 ounces) smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices 2 cups sliced red bell pep pers 2 cups thinly sliced onions 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 tablespoon Italian sea soning 1/4 teaspoon dried red pep per flakes 1 tablespoon olive oil NEED PROFESSIONAL HELP? nil Or Mvertbe tnr Business »r Trane t Month - ONLY SIM! tall 478-087-1823 you are older.” Supporting the skeleton with healthful habits now so it can support you later in life is especially important if you have an increased risk of osteoporosis-for example, if you’re female or have a thin, small-boned frame. These habits are proper diet, exercise, and avoiding bone risks-lifestyle choices that are bad for bone, like smok ing. Eat your way to strong bones The main mineral in bones is calcium, one of whose functions is to add strength and stiffness to bones, which they need to support the body. To lengthen long bones during growth, the body builds a scaffold of protein and fills this in with cal cium-rich mineral. From the time you’re 11 until you’re 24, you need about 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium each day. Adolescent bodies are tai lor-made to “bone up” on calcium. Calvo says that with the start of puberty, “your body is at a higher capacity to absorb and retain calcium.” Bone also needs vitamin D, to move calcium from the intestine to the bloodstream and into bone. You can get vitamin D from short, normal day-to-day exposure of your arms and legs to sun and from foods fortified with the vitamin. Also needed are vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium and zinc, as well as protein for the growing bone scaffold. Mother Nature provides many foods with these nutri ents. One stands out, howev er, as “almost a perfect pack age,” according to Calvo. “Milk is rich in calcium and high-quality protein. Nearly all U.S. milk has vitamins D and A added. And it has magnesium and zinc.” Still, as excellent as milk 4 cups chopped tomatoes 2 cans (15 ounces each) Black beans Cooked rice Cook sausage, bell pep pers, onions, Italian season ing, and red pepper flakes in oil in large skillet until sausage is browned and veg etables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredi ents and cook, covered, over medium heat until tomatoes are softened, about 5 min utes. Serve over rice. Source: American Dry Bean Council if Just Fill Out eg Return The form Below O' Call Our Office At 478-987-1823 ' Name: Address: City: ; State: Email: - $19.26 - $38.62 - $66.34 (Above prices include tax) Credit* CH Master Card CU VISA CH Di icover - Card #: is for bones, it and other dairy products are not the only foods that contain cal cium. All groups in the food guide pyramid in fact, offer calcium sources-from the pyramid’s grain-based foods that you need the most of, to the produce and high-pro tein groups in the middle, and even to the fats and sweets “use sparingly" group at the top. The importance of choosing calcium sourc es from the different food groups is that each group offers its unique package of other nutrients as well. An easy daily plan is to drink a calcium source at every meal and eat one cal cium food as a snack, says Ruth Welch, a registered dietitian with FDA. Get enough weight bearing exercise Growing bone is especial ly sensitive to the impact of weight and pull of mus cle during exercise, and responds by building stron ger, denser bones. That's why it’s especially impor tant when you’re growing a lot to be physically active on a regular basis. And as far as bone is con cerned, Calvo says impact activity like jumping up and down appears to be the best Elect Democrat Beth PERERA GA State House 136 Endowed by tne GA . r x Association of Educators Leave NO student or Teacher behind! Fully fund Education. Restore Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services. Take the burden off our Law Enforcement officers. Lead the way in Biofuel production to help our farmers, create jobs, protect our environment & achieve security through reduced dependency on oil. Paid for by the candidate. Houston lournal P.0.80x 1910 • 12 jjO Washington Street • 478-987-£23 ' • . fa ■ L. root; Hut the important thing is t<, get off the cou >h and get moving at some .Wtivity It rtally is a matter of T'st it ntw, or lose it lat* f " Such activities include s forts and exerci e. includ ing football, basketball, baseball, jogging, dancing, ji mping rope, inlii e skating, skateboarding. tricycling, b illet, hiking, skii g, karate, swimming, rowing a canoe, bowling, and wcvjht-trrin ivg. And when yo r parents it ake you mow the lawn, i*.ike leaves,' or rash and uax the car, the 're doing 'pur muscles am. bones a ti ivor. FDA's Welch ac’ds. “Dev ito-dav activities >hat stan in the teen years, like walK big the dog or umng stai«> instead of elevr ©rs, can become life-long habits for healthy bones." Avoid hone ric.ics Some habits in the teen age years csn ste .l calcium Horn your bones o • increase ’'.he need for it, weakening I he skeleton for liT>. Skipping meah is risky (ir bone. Welch s:« In our (hrce-meal-a-day society, skipping a meal miy reduce by a third your hance of yetting your 120itDV for calcium-simply b' eliminut ing one occasion to eat Replacing milk with non dairy drinks like soda pop or fti'it favored teas or drihks is another eating habi* that prevents bones from getting •he calcium and other nutri ents they need. In a survey comparing 1994 daily beverage intakes with those in the late 1970 s the US Department of Agriculture found a » witch from milk to other drnks among young people ■ Mill drinkers among tec lagers dropped fro nr. three-fourths tc little more than half. ■ Two to three times move children and teenag ers drank non-citrus fruit juices. ■ Teenage boys nearly tripled their intake of soft drinks, three- r ourths ofthem drinking about 34 ounces; two-thirds of teenage girls drank 23 ounces Alcohol abuse and ciga rette smoking can hurt bone. Calvo says “Alcohol abuse can cause loss of calci um. nagaesium and zinc in the urine. Many who abuse alcohol also have poor diets and malnourished, weaker bones." Cigarette smoke is also toxic to bone and can influence how n u f, h exercise Phone:. Zip: > auto pan And BiH Your/Credit Card m Quarterly, for Your Subscription Without All The Has^e!_ V HOUSTON DAB.Y JOURNAL you get because it affects pair stamina, she says F.atmg disorders can weaken bone The repeat ed vomiting in bulimia and extreme dieting in the appe tite disorder anorexia can upset the body's balance of calcium nno important hor mones like bone protect Lx* estiogcn. decreasing bone density And extreme exer cising bv young women with or without eating disorders can postpone or stop men struation. when blood levels of esi rogen are reduced Small changes fir big benefits As a disorder of 'ging. osteoporosis n.cv wm far away for worry when you're 15. But. small ch mges today for better bones tomorrow may be more important than you might guess. Laura Bacharach. M.D.. of Stanford University, wrote in Nutrition & the M D last year that adolescents who make “even a 5 percent gain m bone mass can reduce the risk of osteoporosis by 40 percent." And this is in ado.- tion to “immed’ ite benefits of feeling stronger and me re fit now with these chang f s Soun c I S Food & Drug AJniinistmtion HI if VOTE on Nov 7th! . Exp: WQJ9W Liigut.