Bone Health - Tips to keep your bone healthy
Bone Health - Tips to keep your bone healthy

It’s a fact of life: As you age, your bones become thinner and lose their density. Over
time, you become more prone to injury. Bones play a vital role
in our body, it provides
structure to the body, protects organs, anchors muscles and helps in storing calcium.
Minerals are incorporated into your bones during childhood, adolescence and early
adulthood. Once you reach 30 years of age, you have achieved peak bone mass. While
it's important to build strong and healthy bones during childhood and adolescence, you
can take steps during adulthood to protect bone health too.
Why is bone health important?
When you are young, your body makes new bone faster than it breaks down old bone,
and your bone mass increases. Your bones change continuously and new bones are
made and old bone is broken down. After that, bone remodeling continues, but you lose
slightly more bone mass than
you gain.
What affects bone health ?
There can be several factors that affect bone health, some of them are :-
1. Physical activity - People who are physically inactive have a higher risk of
osteoporosis.
2. The amount of calcium in your diet - A diet low in calcium contributes to
diminished bone density, early bone loss and an increased risk of fractures.
3. Size - You are at risk if you are extremely thin (with a body mass index of 19 or
less) or have a small body frame because you might have less bone mass to
draw from as you age.
4. Tobacco and alcohol use - Research suggests that tobacco use contributes to
weak bones. Similarly, regularly having more than one alcoholic drink a day for
women or two alcoholic drinks a day for men may increase the risk of
osteoporosis.
Fortunately, you can take
steps to halt the “thinning”
of your bones, called osteopenia, and prevent
Osteoporosis.
Start with the tips below :-
1. Regular Exercise - Exercising 4-5 times a week can help you avoid a
multitude of disorders, including osteoporosis. Exercising helps build
both muscle & bone strength. Stronger muscles give the right support to
the bone and help in avoiding damage from physical injuries.
2. Make Healthy Food Choices - Bone strength is maintained and built
over time. Research indicates that people who eat onions, broccoli &
green leafy vegetables on a re
gul
ar basis are keen to have healthier
bones in later stages of their lives.
3. Avoiding caffeine - Not taking excess caffeine is also a good way to
keep our bones stronger. Research indicates that excess coffee intake
causes loss of calcium while urinating.
4. Get your bone mineral density tested - Doctors can get a quick and
painless “snapshot” of bone health using a simple X-ray test called DXA. It is
recommended that women are tested within two years of menopause. Earlier
tests are recommended for men and
women with certain diseases and for those
taking medications that increase risk, such as long-term steroid therapy.his test
measures bone mineral density and helps determine risks of osteoporosis and
fracture.
5. Start weight-bearing exercises - Weight-bearing exercise is defined as an
activity that forces you to move against gravity, or gives you resistance as you
move. High-impact weight-b
earing exercises are best for building bones.
6. Consider medication - Perimenopausal women may consider hormone
therapy especially if they have symptoms of menopause (hot flashes and more),
to increase waning estrogen levels, which are linked to bone loss.
7. Consume Enough Protein - Getting enough protein is important for healthy
bones. In fact, about 50% of bone is made of protein. Researchers have reported
that low protein intake decreases calcium absorption and may also affect rates of
bone formation and breakdown.However, concerns have also been raised that
high protein diet each calcium from bones in order to counteract increased acidity
in the blood. Nevertheless, studies have found that this doesn’t occur in people
who consume up to 100 grams of protein daily, as long as this is balanced with
plenty of plant foods and adequate calcium intake. What’s more, diets containing
a greater percentage of calories from p
rotein may help preserve bone mass
during weight loss.
8. Consume Foods High in Omega-3 Fats - Omega 3 fatty acids are well
known for their anti-inflammatory effects. They’ve also been shown to help
protect against bone loss during the aging process. Generally speaking, it’s best
to aim for an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 4:1 or lower. In addition, although
most studies have looked at the benefits of long-chain omega-3 fats found in fatty
fish, one controlled study found that omega-3 plant sources helped decrease
bone breakdown and increase bone formation
Take your doctor's help
If you are concerned about your bone health
or your risk factors for osteoporosis,
including a recent bone fracture, consult your doctor. He or she might recommend a
bone density test. The results will help your doctor gauge your bone density and
determine your rate of bone loss. By evaluating this information and your risk factors,
your doctor can assess whether you might be a candidate for medication to help slow
bone loss.