Men's Risk Increases by 47%
The latest study on the osteoporosis-Alzheimer’s connection was published in August in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. It was carried out by researchers from France and Germany. They looked at data from 29,983 European osteoporosis patients and compared them to exactly the same number of controls without the condition. The two groups were matched for age and gender, as well as additional health disorders and treatments. After 20 years follow-up, 20.5% of the women with osteoporosis developed dementia compared to only 16.4% of the controls. The equivalent figures for men were 22% versus 14.9%. If you run the numbers, you’ll see that women were 25% and men a whopping 47% more likely to be diagnosed with dementia if they suffered bone loss.3 Co-author Louis Jacob from the University of Paris said, “The major hypothesis to explain the association between osteoporosis and dementia is that these two conditions have similar risk factors. "These factors include APOE4 allele of the apolipoprotein E, a major cholesterol carrier, lower vitamin K levels, vitamin D deficiency, but also androgens and estrogens.”4Natural Ways to Keep Bones (and Brain) Strong
Half of the bone's structure is built from protein, so it's important to obtain sufficient amounts from good sources: meat, fish, fowl, dairy, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes. Other key nutrients include calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese and vitamin K. You can acquire all these from a healthy, wholefood diet with plenty of green leafy vegetables and fruits, but I would recommend supplementing with magnesium, manganese and K for extra protection, because deficiency is so common. Calcium is a tricky mineral to supplement with, so seek to get what you need in food. In general, the body wasn’t designed to take in minerals that aren’t embedded in food, so that is always the preferred source -- if you’re disciplined enough to make sure you eat the right foods, in the needed amounts. Supplementing with minerals is most effective when they’re chelated (bonded to another molecule to make them more bioavailable.) Get outdoors into the sunshine to ensure the body manufactures vitamin D during the summer months. Dietary sources include eggs, oily fish, and liver, but these do not supply enough, so during the winter it’s wise to supplement unless you live in a sunny climate and have an outdoor lifestyle. Regular weight-bearing exercise is essential for maintaining strong bones, such as brisk walking, jogging, climbing stairs and dancing.