Bone health: Tips to keep your
bones healthy (to be updated soon)
Protecting your bone health is
easier than you think. Understand how diet, physical activity and other
lifestyle factors can affect your bone mass.
Bones play many roles in the body — providing structure, protecting organs, anchoring muscles and storing calcium.
While it's particularly important
to take steps to build strong and healthy bones during childhood and
adolescence, you can take steps during adulthood to protect bone health, too.
Why is bone health important?
Your bones are continuously
changing — new bone is made and old bone is broken down. When you're young,
your body makes new bone faster than it breaks down old bone, and your bone
mass increases. Most people reach their peak bone mass around age 30. After that,
bone remodeling continues, but you lose slightly more bone mass than you gain.
How likely you are to develop
osteoporosis — a condition that causes bones to become weak and brittle —
depends on how much bone mass you attain by the time you reach age 30 and how
rapidly you lose it after that. The higher your peak bone mass, the more bone
you have "in the bank" and the less likely you are to develop
osteoporosis as you age.
What affects bone health?
A number of factors can affect
bone health. For example:
•
The amount of calcium
in your diet. A diet low in calcium
contributes to diminished bone density, early bone loss and an increased risk
of fractures.
•
Physical activity. People who are physically inactive have a higher risk of
osteoporosis than do their more-active counterparts.
•
Tobacco and alcohol
use. Research suggests that tobacco use contributes to
weak bones. Similarly, regularly having more than two alcoholic drinks a day
increases the risk of osteoporosis, possibly because alcohol can interfere with
the body's ability to absorb calcium.
•
Gender, size and age. You're at greater risk of osteoporosis if you're a woman,
because women have less bone tissue than do men. You're also at risk if you're
extremely thin (with a body mass index of 19 or less) or have a small body
frame because you may have less bone mass to draw from as you age. Also your
bones become thinner and weaker as you age.
•
Race and family
history. You're at greatest risk of
osteoporosis if you're white or of Asian descent. In addition, having a parent
or sibling who has osteoporosis puts you at greater risk — especially if you
also have a family history of fractures.
•
Hormone levels. Too much thyroid hormone can cause bone loss. In women, bone
loss increases dramatically at menopause due to dropping estrogen levels.
Prolonged periods absence of menstruation (amenorrhea), before menopause also
increases the risk of osteoporosis. In men, low testosterone levels can cause a
loss of bone mass.
•
Eating disorders and
other conditions. People who have anorexia or
bulimia are at risk of bone loss. In addition, stomach surgery (gastrectomy),
weight-loss surgery and conditions such as Crohn's disease, celiac disease and
Cushing's disease can affect your body's ability to absorb calcium.
•
Certain medications. Long-term use of corticosteroid medications, such as
prednisone, cortisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone, are damaging to bone.
Other drugs that may increase the risk of osteoporosis include aromatase
inhibitors to treat breast cancer, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors,
methotrexate, some anti-seizure medications and proton pump inhibitors.
What can I do to keep my bones
healthy?
You can take a few simple steps to prevent or slow bone loss. For example:
•
Include plenty of
calcium in your diet. For adults ages 19 to 50 and men
ages 51 to 70, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is 1,000 milligrams (mg)
of calcium a day. The recommendation increases to 1,200 mg a day for women
after age 50 and for men after age 70. Good sources of calcium include dairy
products, almonds, broccoli, kale, canned salmon with bones, sardines and soy
products, such as tofu. If you find it difficult to get enough calcium from
your diet, ask your doctor about supplements.
•
Pay attention to
vitamin D. Your body needs vitamin D to
absorb calcium. For adults ages 19 to 70, the RDA of vitamin D is 600
international units (IUs) a day. The recommendation increases to 800 IUs a day
for adults age 71 and older. Good sources of vitamin D include oily fish, such
as tuna and sardines, egg yolks and fortified milk. Sunlight also contributes
to the body's production of vitamin D. If you're worried about getting enough
vitamin D, ask your doctor about supplements.
•
Include physical
activity in your daily routine.
Weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, jogging, tennis and climbing stairs,
can help you build strong bones and slow bone loss.
•
Avoid substance abuse. Don't smoke and avoid drinking more than two alcoholic drinks a
day.
Enlist your doctor's help
Periodic BMD Test, if you are at
risk as per
https://riskcalculator.fore.org
If you're concerned about your
bone health or your risk factors for osteoporosis, consult your doctor. He or
she may recommend a bone density test. The results will help your doctor gauge
your bone density and determine your rate of bone loss. By evaluating this
information and your risk factors, your doctor can assess whether you might be
a candidate for medication to help slow bone loss.
Uncontrollable Risk Factors: Being
over age 50. Being female. Menopause. Family history of osteoporosis. Low body
weight/being small and thin. Broken bones or height loss.
Controllable Risk Factors: Not
getting enough calcium and vitamin D. Not eating enough fruits and vegetables.
Getting too much protein, sodium and caffeine. Having an inactive lifestyle. Smoking.
Drinking
too much alcohol. Losing weight.
Prevention: (consult your yoga
therapist for guidance)
(This writeup is in the process of refinement. The images and text have been adapted from the resources on the internet)
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