You’ve likely heard of osteoporosis. Some 50 million people in the United States are dealing with this bone disease, so maybe you or a loved one is experiencing it firsthand.
Adults start to lose bone around age 50. Women are more at risk of osteoporosis than men. Estrogen, a protective factor against bone disease, plummets sharply at menopause, increasing a woman’s risk.
If you develop osteoporosis, your bones have become porous, and porous bones are more likely to break.
Our board-certified physician’s assistant Jennifer Childers and nurse practitioner Christy Jones, APRN, at Delta Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine provide comprehensive preventive bone care and treatment for osteoporosis.
You have a role to play in helping to prevent osteoporosis. Eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise go a long way toward warding off this bone disease. Following are five important strategies to keep osteoporosis at bay.
Did you know your bones are alive? They’re constantly changing, and through a process known as bone remodeling, your body removes old bone and builds new bone.
Calcium is a key mineral that builds strong bones and teeth. Your body doesn’t produce it, and you can’t live without it. Therefore, it’s essential that you get enough calcium in your diet.
Great sources of dietary calcium include dairy like eggs, milk, cheese, and yogurt. Nuts like almonds, leafy green vegetables, and chia seeds are also excellent ways to get enough calcium in your diet. Tofu and soy milk are sources for those who are vegetarians.
Doctors recommend 1,000 mg of calcium for adults and 1,200 mg for those 65 or older.
Likewise, vitamin D is essential for strong bones because it aids calcium absorption. Are you getting enough vitamin D? Scientists recommend 600 international units (IUs) per day for adults and 800 IUs for senior adults.
If you don’t get enough vitamin D on a regular basis, your body can’t absorb calcium properly. When calcium is lacking in your bloodstream, your body takes it from your bones instead. Your bones then weaken, leaving you at a greater risk of fractures. That’s when you have osteoporosis.
Your body produces some vitamin D from exposure to the sun, but in most cases it’s not enough to maintain your health. Dairy products are good sources of vitamin D. Others include liver and fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel.
Vitamin D supplements help you maintain the required amount for good health. Senior adults don’t absorb vitamin D as well as younger adults. People with darker skin and those who have certain medical conditions may also need vitamin D supplements.
Walking, dancing, running, and playing a sport like tennis, basketball, or racquetball are all examples of weight-bearing activities. You’re bearing the weight of your body on your legs and feet. These types of activities help build strong bones. The stimulation increases bone density.
Resistance exercises use the weight of your body or weights, an elastic band, or water to build muscle and bone. Having adequate strength and balance helps protect you from a fall or other accident.
Excessive alcohol use can harm or kill cells that build bone. In addition, it impairs your body’s ability to absorb calcium and vitamin D. Too much alcohol harms your body’s absorption of other nutrients, as well.
Nicotine harms the cells that produce new bone in your body. It also lowers your body’s ability to absorb calcium. Smoking can actually cause cells that break down bone tissue to work faster than your body produces new bone, so you have an increasing deficit.
Be sure to get your recommended bone density test at the appropriate time. Call Delta Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in West Memphis, Arkansas, or Collierville, Tennessee, or book an appointment online today.
