You might already know that you can’t prevent the loss of bone mass. Unfortunately, whatever bone mass you’ve built up by around age 25 – give or take five years – is what you have. And you’re going to start losing it around this age. No matter what.
What you may not know, however, is that you can prevent how quickly you lose bone mass, which could help you prevent osteoporosis down the road.
What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a condition in which the creation of new bone doesn’t keep up with the removal of old bone, meaning those who develop it have bones that have become weak and brittle, and even something as simple as bending over could cause a fracture. It affects men and women but occurs more frequently in women, especially women who are postmenopausal.
In fact, said Dr. Matt DesJardins, a sports medicine specialist with OrthoCincy in Edgewood, after menopause, women start losing bone mass rapidly, at a rate of 3 to 5 percent each year.
That means, he said, in the five years after menopause, women can lose a whopping 25 percent of their bone mass.
“If your bone mass peak wasn’t very high to begin with, it puts you at a higher risk for broken bones,” DesJardins said, “and something like a broken hip is a big problem for older people. Your risk of death increases significantly with a hip fracture when you’re older.”
To combat these scary statistics, there are some exercise and dietary habits you can adopt to keep osteoporosis at bay.
How can you fight osteoporosis?
If you’re able, try high-impact exercises, such as running or playing tennis.
“The higher the impact the better for bone mass,” DesJardins said.
Lower-impact activities, such as cycling or swimming, actually can make you lose bone mass quicker, even though they’re good for your body in other ways.
As you age, though, and aren’t able to participate in higher-impact exercises, don’t disregard the low-impact options.
“There are lots of studies to show that walking, weight training, aerobics and other activities in that realm are beneficial for people in their 70s and 80s,” DesJardins said. “These exercises decrease the risk of falling, decrease the rate of bone mass loss, and decrease the risk of fractures.”
With regard to diet, calcium and vitamin D are key.
“Most people know that calcium is good for bones and they can get calcium from dairy products,” DesJardins said. “But they can also get calcium from many vegetables, fatty fish (salmon, tuna), almond milk and orange juice.”
And for those who are vegan or lactose intolerant, there are other ways to get calcium, too, including through a supplement.
To make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D, try to spend 15 minutes in sunlight a day because it’s better to get vitamin D from the sun than it is through your diet.
Also, make sure you stay away from foods like soda, as well as other carbonated beverages and cigarettes. They tend to sap away bone mass.
