Tips for Maintaining Bone Health and Preventing Osteoporosis

Maintaining good Bone Health is essential for overall health of an individual. This aspect is of utmost importance in older adults. Osteoporosis is a disease which causes the bones in a person’s body to loose strength. This means that they get fractured easily. This disease related to old age can be effectively mitigated with lifestyle adaptations and is considered as preventable.

What are Some Lifestyle Habits That Contribute To Good Bone Health?

• Diet: Consuming a well balanced diet consisting of adequate quantities of vitamin D and calcium is necessary for bone health. Calcium can be understood as the building block of bones in our body. Vitamin D plays an important role to increase the absorption of calcium in gut. 
• Exercise: Bone health is closely dependant on training the body with resistance or doing straightening exercises. Activities that include High-intensity interval training help increase bone density.
• Avoid substance abuse: Consumption of alcohol, smoking and other illicit substances harm bone health. They directly involve in the pathway of calcium mechanism in the bones of the body by disrupting the necessary hormonal balance.
• Weight: Being obese and underweight are equally harmful to skeleto muscular system. It is essential to try to achieve a healthy BMI and weight.
• Preventing injuries: Identifying areas at home and in office that can potentially cause an injury and making sure that necessary steps are taken to avoid fall can be beneficial. Wearing anti slip footwear and installing grips in washrooms can greatly prevent falls and fractures.

What Are The Risk Factors For Osteoporosis?

When risk factors are identified, necessary care can be taken to prevent Osteoporosis. Some commonly know factors that increase the likelihood of developing osteoporosis are as follows.

• Age: Bone repair and development is a normal, continuous physiological process. But as a person ages, there is a change in this cycle. This results in loss of bone density impacting bone health. 
• Gender: It has been established that women are at higher risk on developing Osteoporosis as compared to men. The main cause for this stems from Menopause. The hormonal changes associated with Menopause makes bones susceptible to loosing strength.
• Familial history: If anyone in immediate relation has developed osteoporosis associated with age or earlier than usual, there are high chances of risk to an individual. 
• Hormonal abnormalities: Having hormonal disorders like hyper or hypothyroidism can also be considered as a risk factor impacting bone health.
• Lifestyle: Having a desk job which requires minimal movement over extended periods of time negatively impacts bone health. It is hence advisable to incorporate a strict exercise regimen to improve mobility and function.
• Medications: Long term prescriptions of steroidal medications can disrupt the repair cycle of bones in the body.

How Can One Prevent Osteoporosis?

The best way to prevent osteoporosis is to understand the risk factors and follow steps that contribute to healthy bone health. Consciously consuming diet for good bone health and exercising everyday can do wonders for overall well being and preventing bone related diseases. 

Are There Any Specific Exercises That Promote Bone Health?

• Strength training exercises: Strength training is nothing but including exercises that involve improvement of physical strength of the body. This comes from building muscle that supports the body with resistance bands. The resistance bands can be used in such a way that different muscle groups in the body are targeted.
• Weight Bearing exercises: These can be explained as exercises that uses one’s own body weight or adding additional external weight to train the body and muscles. These also include playing sports and regular walking and running.
• Exercises that improve flexibility: Having good flexibility especially in the back and hips which can be achieved with Yoga or Pilates can be beneficial to bone health.
• High impact training: Incorporating a day in the entire week for high intensity training like tennis, climbing or skipping rope has great impact on bone density.

When Should Someone Get a Bone Density Test?

DEXA bone densitometry or bone density tests help us determine if an individual has sufficient strength in bone or is prone to suffer from fractures. The need to get a bone density test is highly individualized. If an individual is identified as high risk for developing osteoporosis an annual test can be done. Post menopause, women can get a bone density test based on familial history of developing Osteoporosis. These tests are also especially useful when someone is prone to frequent fractures.

Conclusion:

Taking a proactive approach for maintaining bone health and preventing deterioration of bone density is a step in the right direction for overall health of an individual and especially women post menopause. Recognizing risks impacting bone health, eating healthy and having an active lifestyle not only contributes to a longer life but also a pain free healthy life.