Maggie McKay (Host): Welcome to Health Talk presented by the Valley Health System. I'm your host, Maggie McKay. Joining us today is Dr. Tricia Murphy, Board-Certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics and Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency at Spring Valley Hospital to discuss the importance of bone health and how we can enhance it through nutrition, weight-bearing exercises and more.

Thank you so much for joining us today, Dr. Murphy.

Tricia Murphy, MD, MHA: Happy to be here.

Host: Well, let's just start with, why is bone health so vital for our overall wellbeing?

Tricia Murphy, MD, MHA: So bone health is important because as we get older, we start losing bone and the more fragile our bones get, the more at-risk of developing bone fractures we are.

Host: So what are some red flags or symptoms that we should be aware of regarding bone health? What should we be looking out for?

Tricia Murphy, MD, MHA: There are no red flags, no symptoms associated with a decreasing bone health as we age. Most of the people are not aware that they're losing bone strength and they are at-risk of developing bone fracture without knowing it.

Host: So what role does nutrition play, if any, when you know, trying to maintain strong bones?

Tricia Murphy, MD, MHA: The importance is that we develop our bones throughout our lives and our the peak bone strength is developed around the age of 30. So as we are growing up, we should be, promoting bone through exercise and nutrition. Especially supplementing with calcium and vitamin D because that's what's going to build up our bones, throughout our lives.

After the age of 30, we start losing bone strength. So whatever we do in our lives, it has to be a lifelong decision.

Host: Wow. At, at the age of 30 we start losing. I cannot believe it. That's so early. Are there specific foods that are especially beneficial for bone health?

Tricia Murphy, MD, MHA: Yes. Milk related products are the most important. For example, just regular milk, yogurt, cheese. There are certain fish like sardines or salmon that are rich in calcium and are beneficial for the individual to eat on regular basis. There are certain vegetables like, kale, broccoli, that are rich in calcium that are also beneficial. Some beverages are already fortified with calcium, such as soy milk, almond milk. certain cereals are also fortified with calcium. And grains and pastas, even though they don't have a lot of calcium in it, they're fortified will calcium regularly. In addition to calcium, we're looking for food that contain vitamin D and most of the time, they're not intrinsically rich with vitamin D. So they're mostly supplemented with vitamin D, but fatty fish is like cr salmon, tuna, mackerel, they're rich in vitamin D. Beef liver, egg yoke, are also rich in vitamin D, some mushrooms and milk. It's also fortified with vitamin D, like soy milk, camel milk, and milk.

Host: Let's talk about weightlifting. Does that contribute to strengthening bones?

Tricia Murphy, MD, MHA: Yes, definitely. Yes. The weightlifting help presenting the bone and the usually recommended exercise is two to three days a week and doing repetitions, about five to 12 repetitions per set, and those sets should include at least three areas of major muscles.

Host: So what advice would you have for someone just starting out with weight bearing exercises? Like how heavy should the weights be to start?

Tricia Murphy, MD, MHA: To start the weight bearing exercises can be just walking. You can do jogging, you can do stair climbing, you can do cycling, you can do stepping. So you don't necessarily need to add weight to begin with when you're doing weight bearing exercises. You can start adding weight as the more into the exercise you get.

Your body's going to get adjusted to your current level of exercise, and then you can continue to progress as your body tolerates it.

Host: So you mentioned age affecting bone density and health of course. So if we eat, you know, what you mentioned before and lift weights or do weight bearing exercises, which is I think using your own weight, is that what you're saying?

Tricia Murphy, MD, MHA: That is correct. You can use your own weight with exercises, like I mentioned, like, walking, even tai chi, dancing, jogging.

Host: So what about one's medical history or their family history? Does that play a part in bone health? Like if your mom had osteoporosis, are you definitely going to get it?

Tricia Murphy, MD, MHA: There is an increased risk having a family history of bone fracture, especially hip fracture. So if your mother or even your father, if they had a bone fracture associated with osteoporosis, you're at increased risk for having osteoporosis yourself.

Host: So these are really important tips to know if you do have family history of some sort. Are there any recent advancements in the field of bone health that you're excited about?

Tricia Murphy, MD, MHA: In the field of bone health, the most important thing is that, I think the take-home message is that this is a lifelong commitment that you have to do with your bone health. So, lifestyle, exercises, nutrition, are the most important factors in bone health for maintaining your bone strength.

Host: In closing, is there anything else you'd like to add?

Tricia Murphy, MD, MHA: Well, in closing, I would like to say that the best way to maintain bone health is to maintain a good adequate intake of vitamin D and calcium. Also, lifelong participation in exercises. That could be weight bearing exercises, resistance exercises, the use of weights, and balance exercises to improve your balance to prevent falls is very important.

Another thing that I failed to mention earlier was people that are at increased risk for osteoporosis are those that are currently smokers. And that do drink excess alcohol, So, it is recommended for us to cut back in smoking and alcohol itself.

Host: Wow. I never knew that. That's another good piece of information. Thank you so much for being here today and sharing your expertise. That was so informative.

Tricia Murphy, MD, MHA: Thank you very much.

Host: Again, that's Dr. Tricia Murphy. To learn more, please visit valleyhealthsystemlv.com. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out our entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. I'm Maggie McKay. Thank you for listening to Health Talk presented by the Valley Health System.

Physicians are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of the Valley Health System. The system shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians.