Bone health

Bones play many roles in the body — providing structure, protecting organs, anchoring muscles and storing calcium. Our bones are continuously changing; new bone is made and old bone is broken down. In young age, our body makes new bone faster than it breaks down old bone, and our bone mass increases. Most people reach their peak bone mass around age 30. After that, bone remodeling continues, but we lose slightly more bone mass than we gain. Osteoporosis, a condition that causes bones to become weak and brittle, depends on how much bone mass one can attain by age 30 and how rapidly it loses after that. The higher the peak bone mass, the less likely one is to have osteoporosis with age.

What affects bone health?

The amount of calcium in our diet; a diet low in calcium contributes to diminished bone density, early bone loss and an increased risk of fractures.

Physical activity: people who are physically inactive have a higher risk of osteoporosis than do their more-active counterparts.

Tobacco and alcohol use contributes to weak bones. Similarly, regularly having more than two alcoholic drinks a day increases the risk of osteoporosis, possibly because alcohol can interfere with the body's ability to absorb calcium.

Gender; women are at greater risk of osteoporosis, because women have less bone tissue than do men.

Size; those who are extremely thin (with a body mass index of 19 or less) or have a small body frame are more at risk, because of less bone mass to rely upon with age.

Age; bones become thinner and weaker with age.

Family history; having a parent or sibling who has osteoporosis puts one at greater risk, especially if there is a family history of fractures.

Hormone levels; too much thyroid hormone can cause bone loss. In women, bone loss increases dramatically at menopause due to dropping estrogen levels. Prolonged absence of menstruation (amenorrhea) before menopause also increases the risk of osteoporosis. In men, low testosterone levels can cause a loss of bone mass.

Eating disorders and other conditions; those who have anorexia or bulimia are at risk of bone loss; further having stomach cancer surgery, weight-loss surgery and conditions like Crohn's disease, celiac disease and Cushing's disease can affect body's ability to absorb calcium.

Certain medications; long-term use of corticosteroid like cortisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone, some anti-seizure medications, such as phenytoin and phenobarbital or methotrexate are damaging to bone and might increase the risk of osteoporosis.

While it's important to build strong and healthy bones during childhood and adolescence, we can take steps during adulthood to protect bone health, too.

Few simple steps to keep bones healthy

Include plenty of calcium in diet; for adults recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day; the recommendation increases to 1,200 mg a day for women after age 50 and for men after age 70.

Good sources of calcium include dairy products, nuts, broccoli, and soy products, such as tofu. If it’s difficult to get enough calcium from diet, doctors can prescribe calcium supplements.

Pay attention to vitamin D; as our body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. Recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin D is 600 international units (IUs) a day; the recommendation increases to 800 IUs a day for adults age 71 and older. Good sources of vitamin D include oily fish, egg yolks, and fortified milk. Sunlight also contributes to the body's production of vitamin D. If you're worried about getting enough vitamin D, doctors can prescribe supplements.

Include physical activity in daily routine; weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, jogging, tennis and climbing stairs, can help in building strong bones and slow bone loss.

Avoid smoking & drinking

Protecting our bone health is not as difficult as we think, we need to understand how our diet, physical activity and other lifestyle factors can affect our bone mass.  However, to know about bone health or risk factors for osteoporosis and bone fracture, an Orthopaedician should be consulted.

Bone health

Bones play many roles in the body providing structure, protecting organs, anchoring muscles and storing calcium. Our bones are continuously changing; new bone is made and old bone is broken down. In young age, our body makes new bone faster than it breaks down old bone, and our bone mass increases. Most people reach their peak bone mass around age 30. After that, bone remodeling continues, but we lose slightly more bone mass than we gain. Osteoporosis, a condition that causes bones to become weak and brittle, depends on how much bone mass one can attain by age 30 and how rapidly it loses after that. The higher the peak bone mass, the less likely one is to have osteoporosis with age. What affects bone health? The amount of calcium in our diet; a diet low in calcium contributes to diminished bone density, early bone loss and an increased risk of fractures. Physical activity: people who are physically inactive have a higher risk of osteoporosis than do their more-active counterparts. Tobacco and alcohol use contributes to weak bones. Similarly, regularly having more than two alcoholic drinks a day increases the risk of osteoporosis, possibly because alcohol can interfere with the bodys ability to absorb calcium. Gender; women are at greater risk of osteoporosis, because women have less bone tissue than do men. Size; those who are extremely thin (with a body mass index of 19 or less) or have a small body frame are more at risk, because of less bone mass to rely upon with age. Age; bones become thinner and weaker with age. Family history; having a parent or sibling who has osteoporosis puts one at greater risk, especially if there is a family history of fractures. Hormone levels; too much thyroid hormone can cause bone loss. In women, bone loss increases dramatically at menopause due to dropping estrogen levels. Prolonged absence of menstruation (amenorrhea) before menopause also increases the risk of osteoporosis. In men, low testosterone levels can cause a loss of bone mass. Eating disorders and other conditions; those who have anorexia or bulimia are at risk of bone loss; further having stomach cancer surgery, weight-loss surgery and conditions like Crohns disease, celiac disease and Cushings disease can affect bodys ability to absorb calcium. Certain medications; long-term use of corticosteroid like cortisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone, some anti-seizure medications, such as phenytoin and phenobarbital or methotrexate are damaging to bone and might increase the risk of osteoporosis. While its important to build strong and healthy bones during childhood and adolescence, we can take steps during adulthood to protect bone health, too. Few simple steps to keep bones healthy Include plenty of calcium in diet; for adults recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day; the recommendation increases to 1,200 mg a day for women after age 50 and for men after age 70. Good sources of calcium include dairy products, nuts, broccoli, and soy products, such as tofu. If its difficult to get enough calcium from diet, doctors can prescribe calcium supplements. Pay attention to vitamin D; as our body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. Recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin D is 600 international units (IUs) a day; the recommendation increases to 800 IUs a day for adults age 71 and older. Good sources of vitamin D include oily fish, egg yolks, and fortified milk. Sunlight also contributes to the bodys production of vitamin D. If youre worried about getting enough vitamin D, doctors can prescribe supplements. Include physical activity in daily routine; weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, jogging, tennis and climbing stairs, can help in building strong bones and slow bone loss. Avoid smoking drinking Protecting our bone health is not as difficult as we think, we need to understand how our diet, physical activity and other lifestyle factors can affect our bone mass. However, to know about bone health or risk factors for osteoporosis and bone fracture, an Orthopaedician should be consulted.