The older you get, the harder it is to maintain bone strength. “We continue to build bone mass until age 30,” says Tina Dreger, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. “After age 30, we break down more bone than we rebuild.” Dr. Dreger offers 5 tips for combating that bone loss:1. Think calcium.Women up to age 50 and men up to age 70 need 1,000 milligrams daily; women over 50 and men over 70 should get 1,200 milligrams daily. 2. And vitamin D.Aim for 600 to 800 international units (IUs) daily. 3. Exercise.Weight-bearing exercise (i.e., walking) and resistance exercise (i.e., weightlifting) help slow bone loss. 4. Don’t smoke.Smoking can increase bone loss. 5. Drink alcohol moderately, if at all.More than a drink a day for women or men over 65, or two drinks for men 65 or under, can speed bone loss. Two bonus tips:1. Remember protein.Protein is one of the building blocks of bone. While most people get plenty of protein in their diets, some do not. Make sure your diet includes lean sources of protein, such as eggs, lentils, white-meat poultry, lean beef, dairy, shrimp and soy. 2. Maintain an appropriate body weight.Being underweight increases the chance of bone loss and fractures. Excess weight now is known to increase the risk of fractures in your arm and wrist. As such, keeping body weight in check is good for bones just as it is for health in general. Read more about bone health and exercise:Your genes are responsible for determining your height and the strength of your skeleton, but lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise influence how healthy your bones are. Regular exercise is essential. Adults aged 19 to 64 should do at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as cycling or fast walking, every week. Weight-bearing exercise and resistance exercise are particularly important for improving bone density and helping to prevent osteoporosis. As well as aerobic exercise, adults aged 19 to 64 should also do muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week by working all the major muscle groups, including the legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, arms and shoulders. If you've been diagnosed with osteoporosis, it's a good idea to talk to your GP or health specialist before starting a new exercise programme to make sure it's right for you. Read more about the physical activity guidelines for adults and find out more about:
Weight-bearing exercisesWeight-bearing exercises are exercises where your feet and legs support your weight. High-impact weight-bearing exercises, such as running, skipping, dancing, aerobics, and even jumping up and down on the spot, are all useful ways to strengthen your muscles, ligaments and joints. When exercising, wear footwear that provides your ankles and feet with adequate support, such as trainers or walking boots. People over the age of 60 can also benefit from regular weight-bearing exercise. This can include brisk walking, keep-fit classes or a game of tennis. Swimming and cycling aren't weight-bearing exercises, however. Read more about physical activity guidelines for older adults. Resistance exercisesResistance exercises use muscle strength, where the action of the tendons pulling on the bones boosts bone strength. Examples include press-ups, weightlifting or using weight equipment at a gym. If you've recently joined a gym or have not been for a while, your gym will probably offer you an induction. This involves being shown how to use the equipment and having exercise techniques recommended to you. Always ask an instructor for help if you're not sure how to use a piece of gym equipment or how to do a particular exercise. Read more about exercise and bone health. Eating a healthy, balanced diet is recommended for everyone. It can help prevent many serious health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and many forms of cancer, as well as osteoporosis. Calcium is important for maintaining bone health. Adults need 700mg a day, which you should be able to get from your daily diet. Calcium-rich foods include:
Vitamin D is important for healthy bones and teeth because it helps your body absorb calcium. All adults should consume 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day. Good dietary sources are:
However, it can be difficult to get enough vitamin D from foods alone. So, consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D. From late March/April to the end of September, sunlight triggers the production of vitamin D, which helps your body absorb calcium. This process helps strengthen teeth and bones, which in turn helps prevent conditions such as osteoporosis.
Page last reviewed: 18 June 2019 You can help prevent osteoporosis by leading a bone healthy lifestyle at all stages of life. In fact, osteoporosis prevention begins in childhood, when a bone-healthy diet and plenty of exercise helps children achieve their highest possible ‘peak bone mass’. This is important because the more bone mass you have when you reach adulthood, the less likely you are to have weak and breakable bones at older age. Read ‘Building strong bones in children and adolescents’. For women early prevention is especially important. The diagram below shows how bone loss occurs rapidly after menopause, at around the age of 50, when the protective effect of oestrogen is lost. Bone mass throughout life Maximize bone health and reduce the effects of osteoporosis with these simple steps. Medically Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD on April 27, 2009 If your doctor says you have thinning bones -- osteopenia or osteoporosis-- it's critical to take steps to slow the progression of this disease. Calcium, exercise, no smoking, no excess drinking, bone density tests -- all these are necessary, says Kathryn Diemer, MD, professor of medicine and osteoporosis specialist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "These are basic things that all women should do," Diemer tells WebMD. But they’re especially important for women with low bone density. While you can never regain the bone density you had in your youth, you can help prevent rapidly thinning bones, even after your diagnosis. Here’s a breakdown of five lifestyle steps to help you on the road to better bone health. Calcium builds strong bones, but vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. That's why postmenopausal women need 1,200 milligrams calcium and at least 400 IU to 600 IU vitamin D daily for better bone health. "Any patient being treated for osteoporosis should have both calcium and vitamin D levels checked in blood tests," says Diemer. Most American women get less than 500 milligrams of calcium in their daily diet. "Sun exposure helps produce vitamin D, but as we get older, our skin is not as efficient at making vitamin D. Also, if we're careful to use sunscreen, we're at risk of having low vitamin D level." Here are ways to give your body a boost of both calcium and vitamin D: Calcium in food: We know that dairy has calcium, but other foods do, too.
A calcium supplement may be necessary to make sure that you're getting enough, says Diemer. Calcium supplements: All the calcium bottles on store shelves can be confusing. Basically, there are two types of calcium -- calcium carbonate and calcium citrate -- that can be purchased over the counter.
Certain medications can interfere with absorption of calcium carbonate -- including Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, and others used to treat acid reflux (GERD) or peptic ulcers. If you take those medications, you should probably take calcium citrate. Check the supplement's label before buying. Look for either "pharmaceutical grade" or "USP (United States Pharmacopeia) standards. This will ensure high-quality pills that will dissolve in your system. "Even generic brands are fine if they have that information," Diemer advises. Don't forget vitamin D. Most calcium pills -- and most multivitamins -- contain vitamin D. However, you can get vitamin D in food (fortified dairy products, egg yolks, saltwater fish like tuna, and liver). Research suggests that vitamin D3 supplements may be a little bit better absorbed and retained than Vitamin D2. If you're taking osteoporosis medications, take calcium, too. "A lot of patients think if they start treatment they don't need calcium," she adds. "That's not true, and physicians often don't emphasize the point." Take prescription calcium if necessary. In some cases, doctors prescribe higher-strength calcium and vitamin D tablets. Calcium supplements and osteoporosis medications can stop bone loss -- which allows the bone to rebuild itself, Diemer explains. "But the body needs 'encouragement' to rebuild bone," she adds. "The skeleton needs to be under stress so it will get stronger." That's why exercise is important for better bone health. Be sure to talk with your doctor before you begin any exercise regimen. Here are some types of exercises your doctor may suggest. Make walking a daily ritual. Walking, jogging, and light aerobics make your bones and muscles work against gravity -- which puts stress on the skeleton, which strengthens bones. Bicycling is also good for bones; it offers some resistance, which improves muscle mass and strengthens bones. Swimming, however, is not a good bone-booster, says Diemer. "Swimming is great for joints if you have arthritis, but it's not doing anything for osteoporosis. With swimming, the skeleton is comfortable so it is not working to hold itself up." She advises 30 minutes of weight-bearing exercise five days a week if you can. "I'm satisfied if they get 30 minutes, three times a week." Core strengthening is critical, too.Abdominal exercises, lower back exercises, yoga, Pilates, and tai chi help strengthen the spine. "All that stuff is great, because the most common fractures are in the spine," Diemer tells WebMD. "Strengthening muscles to the spine gives more support to the spine. The other thing about yoga, Pilates, and tai chi -- they improve balance, which prevents falls." Tell your instructor that you have osteoporosis. If you're taking yoga or Pilates, make sure you have a certified instructor. You need close supervision to make sure you don't harm yourself. "Nicotine is toxic to bone," Diemer tells WebMD. "The first thing I tell patients who smoke is, if you don't stop smoking there's very little we can do for your bones. You counteract all medications." Alcohol in moderation is fine, but just one or two drinks a week, she advises. "Alcohol in excess causes about 2% bone loss in a year's time. Nicotine also causes 2% bone loss. If you're having alcohol and nicotine both in excess, the combined bone loss is actually doubled -- 8% bone loss." Many factors affect bone strength. Use of certain medications to treat chronic diseases, for example, is an often-overlooked risk factor for developing osteoporosis. Also, certain medications may cause dizziness, light-headedness, or loss of balance -- which could put you at risk for a fall. Your doctor can explain your own risk -- as well as options for preventing and treating bone loss. These are questions you might ask your doctor: A bone mineral density test (BMD) is the only way to determine the extent of your bone loss. The gold-standard bone density test is dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), says Diemer. "It's a low-radiation test and is the most accurate bone test we have." Your doctor will determine how frequently you should have a bone density test. If you're taking osteoporosis medications -- or have certain risk factors -- you may need a test every six months. Before having the test, check with your insurance company. Some will only cover bone density tests every two years. "Usually we can get insurance companies to agree to cover yearly tests, at least for the first year after treatment starts," Diemer tells WebMD. "If the physician says it needs to be done, they usually will pay. But you may need to be persistent in getting it covered." |
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