Protect Your Bones from Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease that makes your bones break easily and is often called “silent disease”because bone loss usually occurs gradually over the years without symptoms.

The causes of osteoporosis are multiple including lifestyle, which act together with age, genetic factors and low weight. When you are young, the process of bone building outpaces bone loss and that is why your skeleton remains healthy. Bone mass peaks in early adulthood. With aging this is in reverse -bone loss speeds up and bone building slows down.

Aging leads to osteoporosis due to drop in estrogen after menopause in women and testosterone which occurs with aging in some men.

What to do to protect your bones:

A : Be active – Bones are built because of the forces on them from gravity and from your muscles. Regular weight bearing exercises such as walking or running 30 minutes a day can help.

B : Building muscles – This is necessary to move your bones/joints and protect you from falling.

C : Calcium – Eat foods with lots of calcium such as milk, yogurt, and green leafy vegetables. Aim for 1000mg for premenopausal women and men to 1200 mg for postmenopausal women and calcium supplements for women who cannot take enough calcium in their diet.

D : Vitamin D – The “sunshine vitamin”, comes from skin exposure to UVB light and from supplements. Without vitamin D only 10 to 15 percent of dietary calcium is absorbed. Vitamin D from sun exposure is the most natural way and most people can make enough vitamin D from being out in the sun daily for short periods with their forearms, hands or lower legs uncovered and without sunscreen from late March or early April to the end of September, especially from 11am to 3pm for UAE it could be from 8am to 11 am.

E : Easy going relaxation—Stress releases hormones such as cortisol, which may contribute to bone loss.

F : Good habits which means no more than three caffeinated drinks per day and not smoking.

(Credit: Dr. Irena Khostanteen, Consultant, Health Shield Medical Center)