Prevent Osteoporosis and Fractures: Improve your Bone Strength

Worldwide, osteoporosis (reduced bone mass or weak bones) causes more than 8.9 million fractures annually, resulting in an osteoporotic fracture every 3 seconds, according to International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF). 

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem particularly among the Indian women. Low calcium intakes with extensive prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, early menopause, genetic predisposition, increasing longevity, and poor knowledge of bone health are some of the factors that contribute toward the high prevalence of osteoporosis. 

Estimates suggest that of the 230 million Indians expected to be over the age of 50 years as of 2015, 20% or approximately 46 million are women with osteoporosis. 

Prevention of Osteoporosis

The first two decades of your life are crucial to improving bone density or bone mass and prevent bone-thinning osteoporosis. Doing bone-strengthening exercises and getting good nutrition with enough calcium and vitamin D helps improve bone mass.

Even if you are aged over 20, it’s still not too late to adopt bone-preserving habits. If you are a man younger than 65 or a pre-menopausal woman, the following strategies can help you improve your bone strength and prevent osteoporosis: 

1. Healthy Diet: Ensure your diet is enriched with calcium and vitamin D. Fruits, vegetables, and grains provide minerals crucial to bone health, such as magnesium and phosphorus. Dairy products have a good amount of calcium like some fruits like orange and green vegetables.
2. Normal body weight: It is important to maintain normal body weight particularly for women because it affects the regular menstrual cycle. This can affect the estrogen levels to maintain good bone health and growth.
3. Healthy habits: Avoid smoking and limit alcohol intake as they decrease bone mass.
4. Exercises: Make sure your workouts include weight-bearing exercises like walking, dancing, or step aerobics, and strength training. They can boost your bone health.
5. Risk factors: Certain medical conditions (like celiac disease) and some medications (steroids and others) may lead to osteoporosis. If you have such health conditions or any of the following risk factors, discuss with your doctor to develop appropriate prevention strategies:

• A prior fracture. It increases the risk of any future fracture (by 86%)
• Physical inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle.
• Smoking. It can lead to lower bone density and higher risk of fracture.
• Low body weight and weight loss - Associated with greater bone loss and increased risk of fracture.
• Falls. This contributes to fractures ( 90% of hip fractures result from falls).
• Excessive use of sedatives, antidepressants and other medications - show increased risk of hip fracture. 

Good nutrition and regular exercises starting very early in life will help maintain good bone strength, but it’s never too late to start exercising whatever stage of life you may be at. 

Eat healthy, exercise regularly and stay happy – Mantra for good health!