Health Action: Preventing osteoporosis

On Park Avenue, in the mall, at the beach, you can see older men and women looking a bit hunched over. We used to think that that was a natural part of aging, but now we know that weakened bones cause people to shrink and bend as they age. And it is preventable. Many factors contribute to osteoporosis, which literally means “porous bones”, and you can see big empty spaces in X-rays of the weakened bones. While your bones reach their maximum length in adolescence or young adulthood, your bones continue to grow and rebuild. This remodeling of the bone structure rebuilds the bones stronger and denser. If they do not grow and rebuild, they get porous — big holes in the structure — which makes them break too easily.

Osteoporosis is common. Half of all women and one in eight men older than 50 will develop osteoporosis. A woman’s risk of a broken hip is greater than the combined risks for ovarian, breast and uterine cancer. Low calcium intake, lack of exercise, smoking, alcohol and family history of fractures increase the risk for osteoporosis. Some medications, including steroids and some water pills, can increase the risk of osteoporosis. Bone loss accelerates after menopause and midlife.

In the early stages, osteoporosis has no signs or symptoms. A fracture with mild trauma suggests fragile, breakable bones of osteoporosis. The development of a dowager’s hump is a late sign of osteoporosis, as vertebral bones collapse. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for osteoporosis by measuring bone density for women after age 65 or those with increased risks for fractures.

How do you prevent osteoporosis? Plenty of calcium-rich foods throughout your lifetime give your body the building blocks for strong bones. Low-fat yogurt, milk, cheese and other dairy foods; broccoli; leafy greens (such as spinach, collard greens); salmon and tofu are full of calcium. Assess your calcium intake at tinyurl.com/calciumcalculator

Weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, running and weight lifting, strengthen your bones. While swimming and biking are great for your heart, they don’t build up your bones. Minimal alcohol drinking and not smoking also help your bones.

Adults need 1000-1200 mg of calcium a day. Calcium in your foods is best, but it is often hard to get enough from food alone. Your body can absorb about 500 mg of calcium from a calcium tablet at one time, so taking a 500 mg calcium pill twice a day is more effective than trying to take 1000 mg at once. Brand name calcium is no more effective than generic forms of the mineral.

Osteoporosis prevention is not just for adults. Kids need plenty of calcium for growing bones as the foundation of their lifelong bone strength.

Build your bones strong for the strong challenges of life.

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Who is Lugo?

The Maitland resident is a nurse practitioner and President of Health Action, offering workplace health consulting and nurse coaching. Visit www.healthaction.biz