Osteoporosis - Strong bones to last a lifetime?

What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a condition when bones become weak and porous and fracture easily with little or no pressure. This happens when the resorption (breaking down of bone cells) occurs faster than their formation.

What are the factors which contribute to Osteoporosis?

The factors contributing to Osteoporosis are -

• Age - both men and women begin to lose some bone mass with increase in age.
• Estrogen levels - Decrease in the production of estrogen at menopause, greatly accelerates the loss of bone mass in women.
• Inadequate intake of calcium - As Calcium is the building block of bones, adequate amounts of calcium is needed for developing strong bones to last a life time.
• Smoking - As nicotine interferes with the body's ability to use calcium, smoking is one factor which greatly increases the risk of severe osteoporosis.
• Kidney diseases and the use of steroid drugs also increase the risk of osteoporosis.

How can Osteoporosis be prevented?

• As bones finish growing in length and density by age 14 and peak bone mass is reached in the 20's, Osteoporosis prevention should begin in childhood with a healthy diet and regular exercise.
• By adequate intake of calcium - Eating calcium and phosphorous rich foods like milk and dairy products, soy, tofu, nuts and green leafy vegetables. Remember the darker the greens the richer in calcium they are. Except spinach which inhibts calcium absorption.
• Vitamin D - The cheapest and easiest way to get it is from sunlight.
• Regular weight- bearing exercises - Like jogging, walking, dancing, tennis, aerobics all help in maintaining bones.
• Minimise salt in cooking - as it causes your kidneys to excrete calcium. One way to do so would be to cut back on processed or canned foods.
• Say no to caffeine - The amount of calcium lost from the body directly increases with the number of tea, coffee and colas consumed.