Dietary prevention of osteoporosis
Osteoporosis affects around 10 million Americans -- 8 million of them are women ages 50 and older. The condition makes folks vulnerable to fractures and broken bones that can occur spontaneously, as a result of a minor fall or even from simply bending over, lifting something, or coughing.
Fortunately, there's a lot you can do to protect yourself from developing osteoporosis. A new study in Frontiers in Medicine reveals that a postmenopausal woman's risk plummets by 13% with every 10 milligrams a day increase in the amount of vitamin B3 -- niacin -- she gets from food. Nuts, legumes and 100% whole grains contain 2 to 5 milligrams per serving. Sockeye salmon has almost 8 milligrams in 3 ounces. Grilled chicken breast has slightly more than 10 milligrams in 3 ounces. Peanuts deliver a bit more than 4 milligrams in an ounce. And marinara sauce has around 10 milligrams per cup.
Only take a niacin supplement if your doctor says to. Excess niacin from supplements may promote cardiovascular and liver disease. Ditto for bone-building calcium supplements. But make sure to get calcium from foods like kale, canned fish, low or no-fat dairy and milk substitutes like unsweetened oat milk.
Other ways to promote bone health: doing weight-bearing exercise or (with your doc's OK) jumping up and down on a hard surface 20 times in the morning and 20 times at night. Also avoid smoking and drinking excess alcohol. For more info on lifelong bone health, check out Dr. Mike's book "What to Eat When" and "Dr. Oz: 3 Ways to Help Prevent Osteoporosis" on YouTube.
Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook.com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iHerb.com, the world's leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively. Together they have written 11 New York Times bestsellers (four No. 1's).
(c)2025 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2025 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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