Bones are living tissues that respond to their environment. They have nerves, blood vessels, and marrow, which are important for the production of blood cells. Our bones are dynamic, that means they are constantly breaking down and building back up in a process called remodeling. The bone cells – osteoclasts and osteoblasts – work together to remodel the bone. When bone breakdown equals bone formation, bones remain strong. Bone loss occurs when bone breakdown exceeds formation.
When we are younger, our body rebuilds more bone than it demolishes. Typically, a person reaches peak bone mass around the age of 30 years. Among women, bone mass usually remains steady for the next 20 years or so until the onset of menopause.
During menopause, bone is lost much more quickly than it is replaced. When bone loss is significant, the result is osteoporosis (which means “porous bone”). Women experience an acceleration in bone loss at menopause due to the loss of estrogen. Bone loss generally starts later for men typically in the late 50’s and progresses more slowly than in women. But men can also get osteoporosis.
The thing with osteoporosis is that there are no symptoms, it creeps in silently and you would not feel a thing until you have already fractured or broken a bone in your body. There is usually no way of knowing that your bones are thinning until you go for a bone density check-up. Realistically once osteoporosis sets in, complete reversal is not possible. However, it is possible to slow down bone loss in older age and prevent the consequences of this condition if we take the right steps today.
So, How can We improve Bone Health?
Two critical factors in minimizing bone loss are diet and exercise. The following are some ways to improve and maintain bone health
Monitor your diet. Consume a balanced diet with less sugar and ultra-processed foods to avoid weight gain and obesity. Get enough calcium and vitamin D, ideally through the foods you eat. Although dairy products may be the richest sources of calcium, a growing number of foods nowadays, such as orange juice, are calcium-fortified. Fruits, vegetables, and grains provide other minerals crucial to bone health, such as magnesium and phosphorus. Well-balanced and adequate nutrition should be ensured in order to prevent adverse effects on bone health.
Get more active. If more physical demands are placed on a bone, it will become thicker and stronger, and if less and less physical demands are placed on a bone, it will lose bone mass and become weaker. So, bones last longer if you stress them.
Weight-bearing exercises such as resistance training are beneficial, as are activities such as walking, and jogging, as well as sports like tennis and basketball where you are moving in multiple directions.
Staying active can strengthen bones and preserve mobility. Weight training helps to build muscles that pull on the bone, forcing bones to become stronger. The chance of fragility and fractures is much less.
Get plenty of calcium in your diet. As stated earlier, bones are constantly being remodeled, that is new bone is being formed and old bone reabsorbed. Calcium plays an important part in this process. Calcium is also important in muscle contraction and blood clotting. Bones act as a storage container for calcium, so when we don’t consume enough calcium from food, it can be taken from our bones to increase the amount in the bloodstream. And when we consume more calcium than our body needs, it can be deposited into the bones for later use.
So, calcium intake is important. The recommended daily amount of calcium is 1000 milligrams per day. Food sources high in calcium include cow’s milk products, small fish with bones such as salmon, kale, broccoli, edamame, oranges, tofu, almonds, green leafy vegetables, and legumes.
Get enough vitamin D in your diet. Vitamin D is important to bone health because it helps with the absorption of calcium. The recommended amount of vitamin D is 600 IU per day. Vitamin D can be produced naturally from sunlight exposure as UV rays induce the body to manufacture Vitamin D from cholesterol. Foods rich in vitamin D include salmon, tuna, mushrooms, almond milk, soy milk, orange juice, many cereals and oatmeal, and dairy products.
Maintain a reasonable weight. Being overweight puts more stress on bones when performing everyday movements. This can lead to bones breaking down and fracturing. Being underweight can be harmful as well. Most people who are underweight have a much lower bone density, making bones more fragile and increases the chances of fractures.
Don’t smoke and limit alcohol intake. Smoking as well as too much alcohol both decrease bone mass. Going easy on caffeine, lowering the consumption of alcohol, and eliminating smoking are ways by which we can increase the absorption of calcium in our body.
Talk with your doctor about your risk factors. Certain medical conditions (like celiac disease) and some medications (steroids and others) can increase the chances of developing osteoporosis. It’s important to talk with your doctor to develop a prevention strategy that accounts for these factors.
Bone health is something that people often take for granted and symptoms don’t appear until the bone loss is advanced. Luckily there are plenty of nutrition and life-style changes that one can adopt to build and maintain stronger bones. It is never too late to start!
Bone health is vital at all ages and stages of life. Whatever your age, simple measures can make a difference in your future fracture risk. A bone-healthy lifestyle is an imperative part of an overall healthy life. Increase your awareness and make changes for a long life with good, healthy bones.
Author: Reetu Verma
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