Bone health important to all

  • Published
  • By Marilyn Leggett
  • Civilian Health Promotion Service
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Oct. 20 is World Osteoporosis Day and before you stop reading this article because it doesn't pertain to you, think again. Men as well as women can suffer from osteoporosis so, no matter your gender, read on.

According to The National Institutes of Health Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center, osteoporosis is a disease in which the bones become weak and are more likely to break. People with osteoporosis most often break bones in the hip, spine and wrist, with injuries often leading to loss of mobility and independence.

Nationally, approximately 10 million people have osteoporosis and millions more have osteopenia, meaning having low bone mass. Osteoporosis most commonly occurs in older women and 80 percent of those in the US with osteoporosis are women. That means about 2 million individuals with osteoporosis are men. It is estimated that one out of every two women and one out of every four men over age 50 will break a bone in their lifetime due to osteoporosis. Men tend to have larger skeletons, and their bone loss tends to start later and progresses more slowly unlike the rapid loss of bone mass that women experience after menopause. By age 65 to 70, men and women lose bone at about the same rate and the absorption of calcium decreases in both sexes.

Risk factors include gender, age and body size with thin, smaller-framed women at greatest risk. Caucasian and Asian women are at greater risk than African-American or Hispanic women and osteoporosis tends to run in families. Additional risks include low estrogen levels in women and low testosterone levels in men. Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa can lead to osteoporosis and inadequate dietary calcium and vitamin D increase risk of bone loss. Some medications increase your risk as well as lack of exercise and inactivity. Smoking harms bones along with the heart and lungs and excessive alcohol use can affect bone health.

Osteoporosis is a "silent disease" because you may not know you have osteoporosis until a strain or injury causes a bone to break. But there are many things you can do to keep your bones healthy including eating a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, getting regular exercise, not smoking, and avoiding or limiting alcohol use. Foods such as skim or low-fat milk, yogurt or cheese provide calcium as well as foods that are fortified with calcium such as orange juice, cereals, and breads. High levels of protein and sodium in the diet may increase calcium excretion through the kidneys so avoid excessive use. Vitamin D helps our bodies absorb calcium and people can get vitamin D three ways: through sun exposure on the skin, diet, and from supplements. Fifteen minutes in the sun a few times a week without sunscreen is plenty for many people to manufacture and store all of the vitamin D needed.

Regular weight-bearing exercise such as walking, hiking, climbing stairs, lifting weights, and dancing helps bone strength and contributes to overall health.