Avoiding Osteoporosis

I recently learned competitive cyclists and swimmers are prone to osteoporosis. Why that is so is still unproven, but one theory that makes sense is that both of those activities are low-impact. That's good for saving knees, but may not be good for building and conserving bone strength. The cure? Do something high-impact too. Turns out a triathlon is ideal. The swimming and biking are easy on the knees, and the run helps bones stay strong. So my running two 5Ks a week isn't only good for my heart now, but also my bones.

Another theory that makes sense is that cyclists and swimmers exercise more hours at a time than many other kinds of athletes. And as a result, they may sweat out more calcium and other vital nutrients. A normal athlete's diet supplies enough calcium for an hour a day of exercise. But for a cyclist to complete a century may take seven hours. And most sport drinks don't include calcium.

A third explanation also rings true: phosphoric acid, found in many carbonated colas and some other carbonated soft drinks, is known to leach calcium from bones.

Other things believed to help bone strength include strength training and a daily multi-vitamin, both of which I enjoy.

I'm a bit between a rock and a hard place on calcium consumption, given that a couple of years ago I had two kidney stones whose composition included calcium. My calcium intake has been restricted somewhat since at the request of my urologist. I'm not aware of having any bone density problem, but also don't want one, so expect I'll ask about that at this Thursday's physical.

Much though I love it, I see I now have to say goodbye to soft drinks that contain phosphoric acid. I'm also adding a daily glass of milk back into my diet.

Update: Saw the doctor today, and got a mini version of a bone density scan. The good news: I don't have osteoporosis yet. The bad news is that my bone density is enough below normal that the doctor advised me to resume normal calcium intake, despite the possibility of another kidney stone resulting.

Seems like I've reached the point in life where there are trade-offs for everything. Since the consequence of osteoporosis would be worse than the consequence of another kidney stone, the focus for now is on protecting bone strength.