Could it be true?

I was at the Company preferred clinic this morning to do my offshore medical check up and I could swear that the measuring stick was incorrect. It seems that I have shrunk, I am no longer as tall as I thought I was.. which resulted in a higher BMI than I had anticipated.

So before I get my own measuring aparatus out I decided to google whether it is true that we actually get shorter as we age.. and I stumbled upon this article. Reading through it just made me realise that I should start taking care of my bones more seriously nowadays. I should start drinking high calcium drinks, otherwise I may shrink to Naufal's height.

Why Do You Get Shorter with Age?
Published August 13, 2009 by:Kristie Leong M.D.

Have you had your height measured recently? You may never have been supermodel tall, but if it's been a while, you may be surprised to find that you're a little shorter than you used to be. Don't blame it on the measuring stick. Chances are that height loss is real. What causes height loss with age and is there anything you can do about it?

Loss of height with age is a normal phenomenon that can rear its ugly head as early as age thirty. It affects both men and women, with women showing a slightly greater loss of height over the years than men. Getting shorter with age was initially thought to be due to shrinkage of the discs separating each vertebrae, but a study showed the actual cause is compression of the bony vertebrae themselves. How much height do most people lose? The majority of people sacrifice an average of 0.4 inches in height every ten years after the age of forty.



Unfortunately, there's little that can be done to control this type of age related height loss. A more serious reason for loss of height with age is osteoporosis. This is where the vertebrae actually break down due to bone loss. This can lead to bony deformities such as the hunched over appearance seen in older ladies as well as loss of height. Although osteoporosis is more commonly seen in women, it also affects men and some people believe this disease is under diagnosed in the male population.

How do you know whether you're experiencing normal height loss with age or osteoporosis? Osteoporosis can be a silent disease until the first fracture occurs. One way to identify a problem is to keep careful track of height. A height loss of two inches or more during adulthood is a warning sign of potential bone problems and should be followed up with a bone density study to check for osteoporosis. Height should be routinely checked at each doctor's visit and any changes noted from previous measurements. If there's a significant change or there are risk factors for osteoporosis, further evaluation may be needed.

Can hormone therapy such as use of estrogen in women prevent height loss with age? A study published in the journal Menopause showed that estrogen has little or no affect on prevention of age-related loss in height.

With the potential risks of hormone therapy becoming so apparent this is unlikely to be a safe solution for this problem anyway. The bottom line? Height loss with age is normal but too much loss in height is not. See your doctor regularly and make sure your height is checked at each visit and compared to the last measurement. Be sure to discuss with your doctor any risks for osteoporosis you may have including family history. Then, stand tall!

I feel like going for a bone density check, I think my calcium "malnutrition" is probably due to the 2+ years of breastfeeding Naufal. I guess I need to change my diet too. My calcium intake needs to be in the range of 1000mg per day.

Dairy foods are very high in calcium, see the values given in the following table.
Food Calcium, serving size, mg of Calcium per serving.

Dairy Products
Skim Milk, 1 cup, 301
Whole Milk, 1 cup, 290
Plain Low fat Yogurt, 1 cup, 415
Cow Milk Cottage Cheese (Paneer), 1 cup, 208
Baffalo Milk Cottage Cheese (Paneer), 1 cup, 480
Calcium in Beans & Grains
White beans, 3/4 cup, 120
Navy beans, 3/4 cup, 94
Black Turtle beans, 3/4 cup, 75
Chickpeas (Chhole), 3/4 cup, 58
Tofu, 150g, 350
Soy bean curd slab, 150g, 310
Cooked Soy bean, 1 cup, 130
Instant oats, 1 pkt, 165
Calcium in Nuts
Almonds roasted, 1/4 cup, 93
Almonds butter, 2 Tbsp, 88
Sesame seeds, 1/4 cup, 50
Calcium in Vegetables & Fruits
Cabbage/bok choy, 1/2 cup, 190
Turnip greens, 1/2 cup, 104
Broccoli, 1/2 cup, 33
Okra, 1/2 cup, 65
Orange, 1/2 cup, 52
Orange juice fortified with calcium, 1/2 cup, 165

Following is a list of foods that give you more than 300 mg of Calcium per 100 gm of that food.
Milk and milk products, Cereals and Grains, Vegetables (Green leafy vegetables are an excellent source of calcium), Spices and Fish