50 percent of women in the US who are 50 years or older will break a bone due to osteoporosis. 54 million Americans have osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is a gradual thinning-out of the bones or low bone density, which may lead to fractures. Women usually start out with a lower bone density than men and the loss of estrogen with aging results in an increased risk for osteoporosis. Many people have low bone loss that is not in osteoporotic range, and they have what is called osteopenia.
In some cases, osteoporosis can be preventable. The sooner you start keeping
your bones healthy, the better off you will be in your 50s and beyond.
Bone health is important from childhood because most of the calcium deposition in bones
occurs during childhood and adolescence. Having a good diet adequate in calcium and
vitamin D with weight bearing exercise is critical to building a good foundation for
bones.
Get the Right Amount of Calcium
When it comes
to calcium, more is not always better. You should strive to hit the daily intake
recommendation :
With well-balanced nutrition, you may be able to get most of the necessary calcium from
your diet and fill in the rest with supplements.
Try calculating your daily intake by reading nutritional labels. Remember, these labels
are based on a daily allowance of 1000 mg, so if the label says, “25% of daily calcium,”
that means you’re getting 250 mg of calcium per serving, just add a zero.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is important for dietary calcium absorption and is used to strengthen bones
and helps many cellular processes period
When your skin is exposed to sunlight, your
liver
and kidneys are responsible for making vitamin D. However, most of us can’t rely solely
on the sun to get our daily dosage for many reasons: indoor living, sunscreen, skin
tone, seasonal changes, etc. Non-fortified foods are also limited in vitamin D.
Protein Is Important for Bone Health
Protein is in every cell in your body, including your bones. Eating protein helps in
improving bone density. Protein can be found in animal or nonanimal food sources.
Exercise
Exercise is very beneficial for bone health period.
To promote bone health, try doing weight-bearing and resistance exercises 3 or 4 days a
week.
The choices you make, beginning as early as childhood, can affect your bone health in the future. To protect it, consider making the following adjustments to your lifestyle: