What You Can Do To Save Your Bones

Our bones define us, make us beautiful (think Audrey Hepburn or Jessica Chastain), provide the leverage for movement, and allow us to stand upright. We build bone until our third decade. After that, our bone loss outpaces bone deposition.

For women, bone loss accelerates at menopause. In comparison, men tend to have denser bones to start with and their loss is less marked. But even though osteoporosis, a condition in which bones become more porous and fragile, is more common in older women, men are far from immune. In adults age fifty and older, 16 percent of women and 4 percent of men have osteoporosis. More than 40 million Americans either have osteoporosis or borderline low bone mass.

The result can be painful and debilitating bone fractures. Hip fractures can lead to disability, loss of independence, and premature death. Early identification with bone density tests and prompt treatment with lifestyle changes, supplements, and medications can avert such disasters. Testing is particularly important because osteoporosis is silent, causing few symptoms until a bone shatters.

A number of risk factors increase your risk of osteoporosis. Some you can’t control, such as being female, postmenopausal, having a small frame, being white or Asian, having a family history of osteoporosis, being chronically ill or bedridden, and taking certain medications. Medications include certain antiseizure and anticancer medications, antidepressants (specifically selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), aluminum-containing antacids, proton pump inhibitors (stomach-acid-reducing drugs, such as Prilosec), and corticosteroids (cortisone and derivatives). Here’s what you can do to save your bones:

• Don’t smoke. That includes breathing secondhand smoke.

• Keep alcohol intake under control. Women should have no more than one drink a day and men no more than two a day.

• Exercise each day. The best activities are those that stress your bones: weight-bearing exercise (jogging, walking, dancing, etc.) and resistance training (working against weights). Cycling and swimming build aerobic capacity, but they don’t force your bones to bear weight, which helps bones maintain healthy density.

• Eat well. Consume plenty of mineral-rich vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. Many Americans consume dairy products to fulfill their calcium needs, others are lactose intolerant. Further, some research disputes that dairy is the best bone-building food.

• Catch some rays. Ultraviolet light stimulates vitamin D production in the skin, and is essential for calcium absorption from the intestines. Sunscreen interferes with this process. Because few foods contain vitamin D, many people have insufficient levels. During the summer, fair-skinned people need 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure to generate plenty of vitamin D. Dark-skinned people, who are more at risk for vitamin D insufficiency, need longer exposure. Wear a hat to protect your face. After your sunbath, slop on the sunscreen, cover up, or seek shade.

• Avoid the calcium-stealers. In addition to alcohol, excessive intake of protein, sodium, caffeine, and sodas (which contain phosphoric acid) lead to calcium loss in urine.

Lifestyle Tip go whole. stay away from processed foods. they are missing the vital natural nutrients in whole foods. read labels carefully on bread and cereal packages: “whole grain” is the operative phrase.