Throughout your life your body continually engages in the process of bone building. Old bone is broken done and removed as new bone is built. In your youth, the amount of new bone that is being built always exceeds the amount of old bone that is being removed. However, as you age, the process of new bone building slows until at some point more bone is being removed than is being built. At first the difference results in osteopenia. Then, as the situation becomes more serious, osteopenia progresses to osteoporosis.
Unfortunately, there are no outward symptoms of these processes until a fracture occurs in a situation that would not affect a person with a healthy bone structure. Medical science has not yet discovered a cause for this disease but scientists do know that it develops over time and they have identified certain risk factors for the condition. A bone density test and a bone scan can detect the progress of any bone loss so if you are at risk for the disease, you might wish to ask your doctor if such a test is prudent.
There are several risk factors for this bone disease. For one, it appears to be genetic and if it has occurred in your family, then you are at risk. Although men can certainly get it, the disease occurs primarily among women. It is also age related in that it is more common in people over fifty but can occur at any age. Body weight and bone structure also play a role. While people who are overweight, obese, or have large frames can develop the disease, it is more likely to strike individuals who are thin and small boned. Smokers are more vulnerable than non smokers. And the long term use of certain medications such as steroids, antacids and anticonvulsants, can also place one at risk.
Individuals at risk need to become familiar with the prevention strategies that medical science has discovered. One of these is exercise. Lifting weights and weight bearing exercises such as walking, jogging, racket sports and dancing can all help prevent the disease. Diet is also vital. One needs to consume enough calcium, at least 1,200 milligrams a day. Good sources of calcium are milk, all dairy products, salmon, and sardines. If you feel that your diet doesn t provide the necessary amount consider a supplement such as calcium carbonate or calcium citrate. And since Vitamin D is required for your body to process calcium, you may wish to consider a supplement that combines both calcium and Vitamin D. Although Vitamin D is present in sunlight, eggs, fatty fish and some cereals, most people do not get enough of this vitamin. Four hundred to eight hundred IU s is the standard recommendation for adults under fifty. Those over fifty need eight hundred to twelve hundred IU s daily.
For individuals who have already been diagnosed with osteoporosis, it is still important to continue to employ the prevention strategies outlined above. There are also medications available that can slow down the progress of the disease and in some cases even reverse it.
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