SHARES
“I never smoked, drank only a little and healthy overall, yet I broke my wrist unexpectedly when I had a minor fall. My doctor said I have osteoporosis” said Susie, 52. Since her teens, Susie experienced intolerance with dairy products and became at risk because of her low-calcium diet. Also, she is of small build and her mother had osteoporosis too.
Like its name suggests, osteoporosis means “bones with holes”. The bones become less dense, lose strength and break easily. Osteoporosis happens when your body loses minerals such as calcium, more quickly than your body can replenish them. Most people are not aware that they have the condition until they get a fracture, as there are usually no signs or symptoms, as in the case of Susie.
Osteoporosis is more common in middle aged to older women. This is because sex hormones, such as oestrogen and testosterone, play a vital role in maintaining bone strength. The decline in oestrogen during menopause accelerates bone loss, putting all menopausal women at a higher risk of getting osteoporosis.
In the long run, taking prevention steps to protect your bone health, would be a tremendous gain towards your health and well-being.
Five Tips to Stop Osteoporosis
Follow these 5 tips to strengthen bones and prevent further bone Loss.
1. Get Enough Calcium
Calcium is the fundamental mineral found in your bones. If there is insufficient calcium in your blood, your body will obtain the calcium from your bones. So, in order to preserve your bone density, you need to have a diet with adequate amount of calcium. Foods that are high in calcium include milk, cheese, sardines, and spinach.
It is recommended to take about 1000mg/day of calcium from dietary source. We may need calcium supplements if dietary intake is insufficient. Talk to your doctor if you need calcium supplementation as overdosing associates with heart disease.
2. Get Vitamin D
Besides calcium, don’t forget your vitamin D. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium for bone strengthening. When we are exposed to sunlight, our body make vitamin D. The recommendation is about 15-30 minutes in the sun from 10am to 3pm to allow UVB rays of the sun to activate the skin for synthesis of Vitamin D. The fairer the skin, the faster and quicker the absorption of UVB rays to accelerate production of the vitamin.
However, some people can’t rely solely on sun to meet our daily vitamin D dosage requirement. You can also get the vitamin from food sources such as cheese, fatty fish and liver all of which contain large amounts of vitamin D3
3. Get Active with Weight Bearing Exercise
Weight bearing exercise and resistance training is extremely good for bone health.
Weight bearing exercise such as brisk walking, jogging and dancing help with your balance and increase bone density.
Resistance training involves resistance being applied to muscle to maintain or increase muscular strength and muscle mass. Like weight bearing exercise, strength training can also increase bone density and prevent osteoporosis.
However, if you have osteoporosis, the risk of getting a fracture with poorly performed exercise outweighs the bone strengthening benefits of these exercises. So, it’s best to consult your physician first to decide which exercise is best and safe for you.
Photo by asrid westvang from Flickr
4. Eat a Balanced Diet
A well-balanced diet helps you get the nutrients you need to keep your muscle and bones healthy and strong. For instance, vegetables provide us with vitamin C which stimulate bone forming, new cells production and prevent our bone cells from damage.
Protein is important to keep our bone strong too. In fact, 50% of our bones are made up of protein. Meat, milk, and eggs are great sources of protein.
Other than that, a balanced diet also helps us maintain a healthy weight. This is important because being too thin or too heavy are bad for our bone health.
5. Avoid alcohol & smoking
Smoking and excessive drinking are risk factors of osteoporosis. So, to protect your bones, avoid smoking and limit your alcohol intake.
Photo by Christine lynch from Flickr
Conclusion
Building strong bones is important but it is often neglected. Stronger bones and better health goes hand in hand. So, start building your healthy bone by having a healthy lifestyle.
References:
1. Spritzler F. 10 Natural ways to build healthy bones [Internet]. Healthline Media. 2017. (Available from: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/build-healthy-bones; last updated on 2020 April 4; last accessed on 2020 Oct 11)
2. Moseley K. What you can do now to prevent osteoporosis [Internet]. Johns Hopkins University. 2020. (Available from: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/osteoporosis/what-you-can-do-now-to-prevent-osteoporosis; last accessed on 2020 Oct 11)
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by Chang Xian
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