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.