Acidity, Bone Loss and Muscle Wasting

If you think it's too late to build your bones....you'd be wrong!  No matter how many risk factors you have, your body can and will respond to positive lifestyle changes.  And many of those changes are within your control.  The most important changes are:

• Stop smoking!
• Eliminate caffeine and alcohol consumption (or at least cut way down).
• Take a liquid Vitamin D supplement.
• Walk at least five times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes each.
• Start a weight lifting program at least three times a week.

You should eat a healthy diet.  But what does that look like for bone health?  In a 3 year study that involved men and women over 65 years of age, eating a more alkaline diet, that included dietary potassium, not only reduced bone loss but also helped preserve muscle mass.  The authors of the study pointed out that the standard western diet, which relies heavily on protein and cereal grains, is acidogenic, which has been linked to increased loss of muscle mass.

After the age of 50 we begin to lose muscle mass, which can impact our metabolism and cause muscle weakness leading to an increase in the risk of falls.  The study showed that dietary potassium can lower muscle wasting and acidosis significantly!  The trick is to get most of your dietary potassium from your diet!  Alkalinizing foods like fruits and vegetables are a good source of potassium and have the potential to build lean muscle mass and prevent falls and fractures in the elderly.

Check out your best choices!  Eat them at will!

Alkaline or Yin foods