Foods, Vitamins Can Reduce Risk of Osteoporosis
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Yesterday, we told you that if you want to protect your bones, you will need to avoid colas and limit your intake of alcohol, sodium and caffeine. Today, we're going to tell you what to include in your diet to help ward off osteoporosis. So live to New York and our favorite dietician, Lisa Drayer. Good morning, Lisa.</s>LISA DRAYER, DIETICIAN: Good morning, Carol. It's good to see you. And I have some news that might surprise you. Do you know that asparagus may help to ward off osteoporosis?</s>COSTELLO: Really?</s>DRAYER: Yes. Not only is it good for the heart and for weight loss, but vegetables like asparagus actually contain folate. This is a B vitamin that may help to lower levels of homosistaim (ph). This is an amino acid in the blood. And previous research has suggested that high levels of homosistaim (ph) may help increase the risk of heart disease, but now the latest research suggests that it may also increase the risk for osteoporosis.</s>COSTELLO: So asparagus is good. Any other green vegetables for...</s>DRAYER: I was going to say -- I was going to say if you don't like asparagus, no worries. Chick peas and lentils, also orange juice, contain folate, and it can help actually protect against fractures. That's what a recent study from Tufts recently showed.</s>COSTELLO: Interesting.</s>DRAYER: Yes.</s>COSTELLO: A lot of this stuff is interesting, like Vitamin D, that's important because why? I know calcium is important, like to drink milk and eat yogurt and stuff like that.</s>DRAYER: Right.</s>COSTELLO: But you need the Vitamin D, too.</s>DRAYER: You do. And one quick note on calcium: If you don't like dairy, look for calcium in fortified foods like juices, and also white beans. I was really psyched when I first learned that white beans contain calcium. So, don't worry if you don't like dairy. But you're right. Vitamin D is very important, because it helps to absorb the calcium in the body. I should say, though, that your needs do increase with age, so it's a good idea to take a calcium supplement with Vitamin D as you get older.</s>COSTELLO: And the way you get Vitamin D, too, Lisa, is exposure to the sun and what else?</s>DRAYER: You got it, Carol. Ten to 15 minutes being exposed to the sun without sunscreen. I know it sounds a little confusing.</s>COSTELLO: It sounds bad.</s>DRAYER: Right. But you can get it from dairy foods, fortified dairy like milk, for example, and also fortified cereals. These are good sources of</s>D. COSTELLO: Soy, potassium, magnesium, what about them?</s>DRAYER: Right. First, let's get to soy really quickly. Carol, it's really interesting. Soy contains isoflavones. Remember, we talked about this in the past. And they're very similar to estrogen, and estrogen actually protects bones. But what happens is, post- menopause, levels of estrogen decrease. So, taking -- eating, rather, soy foods during menopause and after may help to provide some protection against the bones. And research has suggested that this is the case. Also, potassium and magnesium found in bananas contain potassium, and it may help protect bones from breaking down. And magnesium is found in foods like nuts and seeds and peanut butter, and it actually works together with calcium and Vitamin D. And fruits and vegetables, you know, a recent study looked at fruits and vegetables as a group and found that people who consumed the greatest amounts had the greatest bone mineral density, and researchers think it's because they contain a variety of bone protective nutrients.</s>COSTELLO: Interesting. Well, thank you very much -- how to prevent osteoporosis. Thank you for the tips. Lisa Drayer reporting live from New York. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.