How do we keep our skeleton upright?

Exercise was a regular part of the daily program of prehistoric man. Walking, running, crawling, lifting and after the hunt probably walking kilometers with the catch of the day back to the camp where the women and children stayed.
How different the lives of most of us look now, while from a genetic point of view we are not even that different from that prehistoric man. It can now be assumed that too little exercise is bad for our health. What you probably don’t know is that sitting still itself has very bad effects on the body. For example, a study with a number of healthy, young people showed that sitting still for a day already has significant, adverse effects on metabolism. These unfavorable effects also turned out not to be compensated for with an hour of exercise.

Not made to sit

So our body is clearly not primarily made to sit. With this in mind, a so-called ‘walk’ desk has also been developed (treadmill desk) so that you can walk quietly on a conveyor belt during the day while making calls, typing or meeting.
If you have a sedentary job but don’t have a ‘walking’ desk at your workplace (yet), there are other ways to exercise: take the stairs instead of the elevator or take a social walk with colleagues during the break instead of sitting in the cafeteria. And in addition to the necessary physical exertion, it is wise to supplement your diet with supplements that help keep the musculoskeletal system in good condition, even as we get older.

Nutrients for maintaining strong bones

* Calcium and magnesium
Calcium is a very important mineral for bone metabolism. It plays a role in bone formation and is necessary for the maintenance of normal bones. Magnesium is also important for the composition of the bones and for maintaining strong bones. In addition, magnesium is necessary for proper calcium absorption.

* Vitamin D
Vitamin D increases the absorption of dietary calcium into the bones. Fatty fish and (to a limited extent) meat and eggs are natural sources of this vitamin, but due to our changed diet, we often no longer get enough vitamin D. Our body can also produce vitamin D in the skin under the influence of sunlight. For certain population groups, such as young children, the elderly, people with a skin colour, people who don’t go outside much and pregnant women, the advice is always to use extra vitamin D.

* Vitamin K
It has been known for some time that vitamin K₁, and to a lesser extent vitamin K₂, contributes to a good course of blood clotting. In the meantime, all kinds of studies have shown that vitamin K, and especially vitamin_K2, is also good for the skeleton because of the role this vitamin plays in the absorption of minerals in bone tissue.
Vitamin K₁ occurs naturally mainly in green leafy vegetables. Vitamin_K2 is not or hardly found in the diet, with the exception of butter, cheese, cottage cheese and natto (fermented soybeans). The body can also produce vitamin K itself in the intestines. Newborn babies cannot do this yet, which is why they are given vitamin K after birth.

* Zinc
The trace element zinc is essential for the composition of bones and the maintenance of strong bones. Zinc plays a role in the functioning of certain cells in the bone matrix: osteoclasts and osteoblasts. The osteoblasts are responsible for building bone tissue, while the osteoclasts are responsible for breaking down bone tissue.
Our body contains about 2-4 g of zinc, of which about 30% is found in the bone tissue. Because we cannot make it ourselves, we depend on the diet for our zinc absorption. The main zinc suppliers are crustaceans and shellfish, such as oysters, shrimp and mussels. Other animal products, such as meat, cheese and fish, also contain zinc, as do various types of seeds and nuts.