Osteoporosis Prevention - No Frequent Falls Or Broken Bones

Greetings, women over 40. This topic is about osteoporosis prevention.

What is osteoporosis? It’s a serious women's health problem where bones lose too much protein and minerals, especially calcium. 28 million people in the US have it. Over a period of time, bone mass and bone strength, is decreased.

The end result: bones become fragile and break like a twig. Even a sneeze or a sudden movement is enough to break a bone in those with severe osteoporosis.

Building strong bones, especially before the age of 35, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the best way of osteoporosis prevention. (I recall when we were told as children to “drink your milk so that you will have strong bones and teeth!”)

For you women over 40 to build as much bone mass as quickly as possible, and to help slow the rate of bone loss later on:

Get calcium in foods

That’s 1,500 milligrams (mg) of calcium per day for all of you women over 40, and postmenopausal women not using hormone replacement therapy. Foods are the best source: Milk, cheese, and yogurt have the highest amounts. Others that are high in calcium are green leafy vegetables, tofu, shell-fish, Brazil nuts, sardines, and almonds.

Take calcium supplements

Some of you, especially those who don't like or can't eat dairy foods, don't get enough calcium in your diets and may need to take a calcium supplement. Supplements differ in the amount of calcium they contain. Those with calcium carbonate (like Tums antacid) have the most amount of useful calcium. Supplements should be taken with meals and six to eight glasses of water a day. (I take two 600 mg tablets a day, that’s 1200 mg plus the remaining 300 mg from foods.)

Get vitamin D

Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. You can get vitamin D from sunshine with a quick (15–20 minute) walk each day or from foods such as liver, fish oil, and vitamin-D fortified milk. During the winter months it may be necessary to take supplements. 400 mg. Daily is usually the recommended amount.

Avoid smoking and alcohol

Smoking and heavy alcohol drinking reduce bone mass. To reduce risk, quit smoking and limit alcoholic drinks to two per day. An alcoholic drink means one-and-a-half ounces of hard liquor, 12 ounces of beer, or five ounces of wine.

Exercise

Exercising regularly builds and strengthens bones. The best kinds include aerobics, dancing, jogging, stair climbing, tennis, walking, and lifting weights. Try to exercise three to four times per week for 20–30 minutes each time.

Food for thought: osteoporosis prevention protects yourself from a life of frequent falls and easily broken bones. You could be disabled for life. There is no cure.

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