How to Prevent Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a prolonged bone disease that’s caused by a weak or lower bone mineral density. Over time, this compromises the strength of your bones, which can lead to bone fractures, diminished quality of life and even a lower life expectancy. Preventing osteoporosis can start early. Here’s how.
Take Calcium
Osteoporosis, in a way, is the direct result of decalcification of your bones. Women are also more likely to develop osteoporosis as childbearing and child rearing drains their bones of calcium and will continually lose them unless replenished. They are four times more likely to develop osteoporosis than men.
Milk is the most popular source of calcium, but not the only one. Lactose-intolerant people have other calcium alternatives like calcium pills, figs, dates, raisins and even oatmeal. Depending on their stage in life, men and women should take the following amount of calcium daily:
Children ages one to 10: 800 mg
Teenagers ages 11-18: 1,200 mg
Pregnant teenagers: 1,600 mg
Pregnant and breastfeeding women, ages 19 and older: 1,200 mg
Adult males under age 65: 1,000 mg
Adult males over age 65: 1,500 mg
Women before menopause: 1,200 mg
Women after menopause: 1,500 mg
Taking supplemental vitamins to help absorb calcium better is also very important. Vitamin D is one of these vitamins, and the daily recommended dosage is 400 IU daily. You can double the dosage if you don’t get much exercise or sun exposure.
You can also take medication that will help calcium absorption in your body better and more efficient.
Weight Exercises
Another way to prevent the onset of osteoporosis is by doing weight bearing exercises. Having a regular set of weight exercises 30 or 40 minutes a day, three days a week should be enough to keep your bone mass in a healthy density. However, keep in mind that there is a healthy way to get into exercise. Don’t “shock” your body into it, but gradually build it into your routine until your body gets used to it, and you can move on to more challenging exercises.
Some good weight exercises include:
Volleyball
Basketball
Tennis
Rowing
Ballroom dancing
Aerobics
Squash
Handball
Jogging
Walking
Running
Cross-country skiing
Jump rope
Gymnastics
Racquet ball
Swimming, while technically a weight exercise, helps build the bones in your spine, making for a literally stronger back.
Avoid Too Much Magnesium
Magnesium is an important mineral in our body, but having too much magnesium in our body can prevent or inhibit the efficient absorption of calcium. Make sure that you monitor your intake of magnesium-rich food such as lentils, dried fruit and sprouts.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
There is still much discussion about the efficacy of hormone replacement therapy for the prevention of osteoporosis, but it remains one of the options open for people with a high probability of this disease. Hormone replacement therapy is primarily used for menopausal women, and it helps ease its symptoms such as hot flashes and mood swings.
Other Preventative Measures
There are other things you can do to prevent the onset of osteoporosis:
Stop smoking.
Healthy diet. Malnutrition can lead to not just an unhealthy body, but unhealthy bones as well.
Proper amounts of fluoride in your diet.
Using oral contraceptives pre-menopause.
Childbearing, especially when taking the proper amount of calcium during and after.