Monday, August 15, 2022
by
Liz Bonis, WKRC
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CINCINNATI (WKRC) - New research shows a favorite Tri-State food could help you lower the odds you'll break a bone as you age.
This study is kind of a fascinating one about building better bones.
The team at OrthoCincy reminds people that their bone health is determined in the first three decades of life, so giving your body important bone-building nutrients in this time is critical.
So is body resistance exercise as you age according to sports medicine specialists.
"If you don't use it, you lose it, as simple as that, If you are sitting for a long time," said Dr. Angel Valazquez from OrthoCincy. "So, if you got somebody that's in an automobile accident and they are sitting around for months, and you get an X-ray or DEXA scan, that is an appropriate test for looking for bone health, you're going to see the loss of bone taking or bone absorption."
"If you are walking, you are doing exercise you are putting stress to the bone, so the bone it is going to keep building and reabsorbing.
"This new research found if you are cheese, there may be some benefit to at least one kind of cheese when it comes to fighting off osteoporosis or bone loss.
A study in the British medical journal "Nutrition, Prevention and Health" found that enjoying two slices of Swiss cheese every day could help reduce the odds your bones will soften or get thin over time or you'll develop osteoporosis.
More research is needed, but researchers speculate that vitamin K2 and something called DHNA in Swiss cheese may help preserve bone.
Several types of cheese on the market do have vitamin K2 but Jarlsberg Swiss, they found, has a special type of this vitamin.
It's produced by a type of bacteria used in making this cheese. And in the process of making it, this enzyme DHNA is also produced.
It appears to increase a protein in the body's bone formation called osteocalcin. It helps get calcium and magnesium into your bone. These are also needed for bone growth.
As part of the study, researchers asked 66 women to eat either two slices of Jarlsberg Swiss or the same amount of camembert cheese. They did this for six weeks and then swapped.
These two cheeses are similar in fat and protein. But after six weeks, the markers of bone-building increased in those who ate the Jarlsberg, and in the camembert, it remained the same.
Blood sugars and bad cholesterol also dropped in the Swiss cheese-eating group, but not in the camembert group.
Researchers concluded both the right foods and activity are needed for better bones.