Our last blog here listed six things that can hurt your bone health. Avoiding them is the first step anyone can take in their journey to improve bone and joint health. More than just taking the first step is required.

While avoiding them can help stop damage, one must compensate for the wear and revive bone health by giving the necessary support. As discussed in that blog, nutrition and exercise form pillars in restoring bone health.

In this blog today, we tackle the nutrition part by listing out the essentials vitamin and minerals one needs to take to improve bone health:

Calcium: Calcium is what bones are built with. Our bones continuously undergo the building phase in the presence of calcium until our late 20s, when our bones are at their most vital. Post-20s, our bones slowly lose their strength as the formation rate decreases and depletion increases.

“As we reduce our calcium intake, our body takes the required calcium from the bones, further depleting and weakening them. This is why calcium must be an essential part of diet either through food sources or multivitamin supplements”, says orthopaedic specialist and joint replacement surgeon in Mumbai Dr Chirag Patel.

Vitamin D: Calcium is only one part of the equation as it is not adequately absorbed by the body without support from Vitamin D. When we do not consume enough Vitamin D, the body doesn’t absorb the calcium, and then it is forced to take the required calcium from the bones, again weakening them. Given Vitamin D is deficient in 75% of Indians, we strongly suggest you ensure proper Vitamin D supplementation for healthy bones.

Magnesium:  Another mineral with solid evidence of research in helping bone health is Magnesium. In addition to regulating nerve and muscle function, Magnesium increases mineral density while helping Calcium and Vitamin D work well together in aiding bone development. It is also one of India’s minerals with a higher risk of deficiency.

Vitamin K: While Vitamin D works with calcium to reduce bone depletion, vitamin K works with Vitamin D to increase bone mineral density. “Together, both Vitamin D and Vitamin K are found to reduce the risk of fractures and increase the bone density which is commonly found in older adults”, says orthopaedic surgeon in Mumbai Dr Chirag Patel. Green leafy vegetables like spinach, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and kale are some familiar food sources high in Vitamin K.

If you are looking for a diet that improves your bone health and reduces the risk of fractures, then please ensure you have proper amounts of Calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin K & Magnesium are the only four nutrients you need to improve your bone density and reduce the risk of fractures. Surprisingly, these are also the nutrients that maximum Indians are deficient in. We advise you to get adequate nutrition centred on these four nutrients. For more information on nutrition for strong bones, you can contact leading orthopaedic specialist & joint replacement surgeon in Mumbai Dr Chirag Patel.