Strong Bones for Life!

Each living bone in our body is essentially a bank of calcium and minerals, but if neglected our bones can easily lose these important components and fracture. As you age, your body's ability to absorb calcium from the food it receives may cause your bones to weaken. But no matter what your age is now and regardless if you're a woman or a man, you can make a difference in your bone health for the future.

Your body starts to form most of its bone mass before you reach puberty, building 75 percent of the skeleton during adolescence. Women reach their peak bone mass by age 25 to 30, while men build bone until age 30 to 35. The amount of peak bone mass you reach depends mostly on the genes that you inherit at birth. After you reach your peak bone mass, bone density gradually decreases as calcium is withdrawn from your bones.

Osteoporosis is a disease that is characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to fragile bones and an increased susceptibility to fractures. This disease is a major public health threat for millions of Americans, men and women. In the U.S today, 8 million women and 2 million men have osteoporosis and millions more have low bone density. While osteoporosis is often thought of as an older person's disease, it can strike at any age.

Early detection is important in osteoporosis. You may be able to slow the disease if you are likely to develop it. Consider the following risk factors; if you find that you are at risk, then discuss a prevention strategy with your personal physician/provider.

• Gender. Fractures from osteoporosis are about twice as common in women as in men. That's because women start out with lower bone mass and tend to live longer. They also experience a sudden drop in estrogen at menopause that accelerates bone loss. The sex hormones estrogen and testosterone hold the balance between bone renewal and deterioration. Men get osteoporosis too! Men who have low testosterone levels are also at an increased risk.
• Age. The older you get the higher your risk.
• Race. Those who are white and are of Southeast Asian descent are at the greatest risk. African Americans have the lowest risk and Hispanics and Native Americans appear to have an intermediate risk.
• Family History. If you have a mother or a sister with osteoporosis, you are at an increased risk.
• Cigarette Smoking. Research has shown that tobacco use contributes to weak bones.
• Certain Medications. Long-term use of corticosteroid medications such as prednisone and cortisone (both are common treatments for chronic conditions such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis) are damaging to bone.
• Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). This condition has been known to increase bone loss.

The two key factors in preventing osteoporosis are building strong bones and preventing bone loss. By taking proactive steps throughout your life, you can help prevent the gradual bone loss that can lead to osteoporosis.

• Get Your Calcium. Maintaining healthy bones through a diet rich in calcium– which is an essential mineral that gives bones their strength – is critical for building peak bone mass now, and preventing bone loss later in life. Because your bones are a living tissue, calcium gets deposited and withdrawn from your skeleton constantly. If you don't consume enough calcium, or if it is not absorbed, more calcium is then withdrawn from your bones, thus making your bones fragile and porous.
• Calcium rich foods include low-fat milk or yogurt, cheese, salmon (cooked with bones), tofu, almonds and dark green vegetables such as broccoli and turnip greens. If you don't drink milk you can meet your calcium needs by choosing calcium-fortified foods such as orange juice, breads and breakfast cereals, or calcium supplements.
• Connect With Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium and is found in fortified milk and egg products. If you get your calcium from other sources, then try to get some sunshine– your body makes vitamin D when UV light touches your skin.
• Weight-Bearing Exercise. The impact of weight and pull of muscle during exercise helps build stronger, denser bones. Jumping activities and jogging provide the high-impact stress that bones thrive on. Resistance exercises such as weight lifting also build bone density in your legs, hips and lower spine.
• Avoid Excessive Alcohol. Consuming more than two drinks a day may decrease bone formation and reduce your body's ability to absorb calcium.
• Limit Caffeine and Soda. Caffeine can reduce your absorption of calcium. Diet sodas are high in phosphorus, which can cause an imbalance and loss of calcium in the body.
• Lower the Protein in Your Diet. Similar to diet sodas, protein is high in phosphorus and can cause a loss of calcium from the bones.

Thanks to better diagnostic tools, you don't have to wait for a fracture to learn about your risk for osteoporosis and bone loss. The most accurate tool for diagnosing brittle bones is called a bone-mineral density test, which uses sophisticated X-rays or sonograms to read your bone density. Osteoporosis experts recommend that the following people receive a bone-mineral density test:

• Men and women who have a family history of hip and/or spine fracture, and who have had an unexplained fracture after age 50.
• Postmenopausal women with one or more risk factors as listed on page 6, who are not currently taking estrogen and weigh less than 127 pounds.
• Postmenopausal women who have type 1 diabetes, liver disease, or kidney disease.
• Men who are taking corticosteroid medications.

Approximately 80 percent of low bone mass and osteoporosis goes undiagnosed, so be proactive and ask your personal physician/provider if you feel you may be at risk. The good news about osteoporosis and bone loss is that it's never too late to take measures for prevention!