Osteoporosis
...hought of as an older person's disease, it can strike at any age. Osteoporosis is more common than it should be. Although one does not know how to completely stop bone loss, one can take steps to prevent many of the fractures. Prevention starts in childhood, with good nutrition and exercise. Fall prevention is especially important in elderly persons. Many medical papers focus on medications that can be given to reduce the rate of bone loss. Sometimes doctors and their patients just want to take a medication for osteoporosis, without paying attention to basic building blocks. Building strong bones, especially before the age of 30, can be the best defense against developing osteoporosis, and a healthy lifestyle can be critically important for keeping bones strong. There are several steps you can take to prevent osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is largely preventable for most people. Prevention of this disease is very important because, while there are treatments for osteoporosis, there is currently no cure. There are five steps to prevent osteoporosis. No one step alone is enough to prevent osteoporosis but all five may. Calcium is needed for the heart, muscles and nerves to function properly and for blood to clot. Too little calcium is thought to contribute to the development of osteoporosis. National nutrition surveys have shown that many women and young girls consume less than half the amount of calcium recommended to grow and maintain healthy bones. Depending on your age, an appropriate calcium intake falls between 1000 and 1300 mg a day. If you have difficulty getting enough calcium from the foods you eat, you may take a calcium supplement to make up the difference. Vitamin D is also needed for the body to absorb calcium. Without enough vitamin D, you will be unable to absorb calcium from the foods you eat, and your body will have to take calcium from your bones. Vitamin D comes from two sources: through the skin following direct exposure to sunlight and from diet. Experts recommend a daily intake between 400 and 800 IU per day, which also can be obtained from fortified dairy products, egg yolks, saltwater fish and liver. Exercise is also important to good bone health. If you exercise regularly in childhood and adolescence, you are more likely to reach your peak bone density than those who are inactive. The best exercise for your bones is weight-bearing exercise such as walking, dancing, jogging, stair-climbing, racquet sports and hiking. If you have been sedentary most of your adult life, be sure to check with your healthcare provider before beginning any exercise program. Just as a muscle gets stronger and bigger the more you use it, a bone becomes stronger and denser when you place demands on it. If your bones are not called upon to work, such as during physical activity, they do not receive any messages that they need to be strong. Thus, a lack of exercise, particularly as you get older, may contribute to lower bone mass or density. Two types of exercises are important for building and maintaining bone mass and density: weight-bearing and resistance exercises. Weight-bearing exercises are those in which your bones and muscles work against gravity. This is any exercise in which your feet and legs are bearing your weight. Jo...