Nearly 60 percent. That’s how high your odds of death can rocket within the first year after a hip fracture. Which means protecting your bones can literally save your life.
In other words, as you age boosting bone density is every bit as urgent as avoiding hard falls.
And despite the TV ads which try to convince you otherwise you don’t need a risky drug to do it. In fact, the secret to unbreakable bones really begins with plain old good nutrition.
And I don’t mean drinking a gallon of milk every day, either…
The Mediterranean diet path to stronger bones
You’ve probably heard of the Mediterranean diet before. This super healthy approach to eating is loaded with the fruits and veggies you’d expect.
But it’s also rich in whole grains and the good fats you find in foods like nuts, olive oil, and fish. In other words, it’s practically the polar opposite of the common low-fat diet popularized in the last few decades.
And it turns out it’s not just good for your overall health. According to a new study, which included over 1,000 volunteers between the 65 and 79 years old, it’s also good for your bone health specifically.
Researchers randomly assigned volunteers to one of two groups. One group followed a Mediterranean diet, and the other didn’t.
Bone density measurements at the beginning and end of the 12-month trial revealed an unexpected benefit. Folks with osteoporosis who had followed the Mediterranean diet didn’t see the typical bone density decline their peers did.
Instead, incredibly their bone density INCREASED.
Slash your risk for breaking a hip
In fact, it increased at the very rate at which it dropped in controls. And the improvement in density occurred specifically where the thigh bone connects to the hip joint, a particularly vulnerable spot as we age.
Experts say an estimated 300,000+ people over 65 end up in the hospital every year with a hip fracture. And with each of those unlucky folks having a nearly 60 percent jump in their odds of early death, switching to a Mediterranean-style diet seems like a no-brainer.
Besides, while strong, unbreakable bones are a cornerstone of healthy aging, they aren’t even the only benefit this approach to eating brings to the table.
4 MORE reasons to go Mediterranean
Following are four more great reasons to ditch your old diet and start filling up on fresh, whole food and healthy fats instead…
1. Heart disease prevention:
In a study, folks with atherosclerosis who ate a Mediterranean diet rich in nuts and olive oil had a significant drop in artery-clogging plaques and a measurable improvement in cholesterol levels. A low-fat diet, meanwhile, delivered no meaningful change at all.
2. Diabetes prevention:
One recent study showed that a higher fat Mediterranean diet slashed the risk of diabetes by a whopping 52 percent when compared to folks on a low-fat diet.
3. Alzheimer’s prevention:
A study of nearly 4,000 Greek folks found that those who stuck the most closely to a traditional Mediterranean diet enjoyed significantly slower rates of cognitive decline—enough to shave years off their brain’s age.
4. Vision and hearing protection:
Research shows that eating a Mediterranean-style diet could cut the risk of hearing loss by 30 percent—and risk of age-related macular degeneration (a leading cause of blindness) by roughly a third.
Protect your bones and your LIFE by making the switch to a delicious Mediterranean diet starting today.
She is an advocate of self-education and is passionate about the power of group knowledge sharing, like the kind found right here on HealthierTalk.com. Alice loves to share her views on holistic and natural healing as well as her, sometimes contentious, thoughts on the profit-driven inner workings of traditional medicine.
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