What is Osteoporosis? How to prevent osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a medical condition in which the bones become brittle and fragile due to deficiency of calcium or vitamin D. Bones that commonly break include the vertebrae in the spine, the bones of the forearm, and the hip. Until a broken bone occurs there are typically no symptoms. Bones may weaken to such a degree that a break may occur with minor stress or spontaneously. After a broken bone, chronic pain and a decreased ability to carry out normal activities may occur.
What are the symptoms of osteoporosis?
A person is often not aware that he or she has osteoporosis until a fracture occurs. But there are occasionally symptoms of the disorder. They could include:
Backache
A gradual loss of height and an accompanying stooped posture
Fractures of the spine, wrist, or hip
How to prevent Osteoporosis?
Many of the things that raise your chances for osteoporosis are things you can’t change, like your genes, your age, and your sex. But that doesn’t mean you can’t prevent the disease. The things you do every day can be part of your plan to build strong bones.
· Exercise Your Bones
Just like your muscles, your bones get stronger if you give them a workout. Weight-bearing exercises are best for your bones. They’re the ones that force your body to work against gravity as you move. That prompts the body to make new bone. Weight-bearing exercises include Aerobics, Climbing stairs, Dancing, Jogging, Tennis and other racket sports, Running, Yoga, Water aerobics etc.
Strength training is also key to preventing osteoporosis. Your muscles pull on your bones when you work them. That builds bone strength. These workouts also make you more flexible and lower the chances that you’ll fall — the №1 reason for broken hips.
· Calcium and Vitamin D Build Bones
When your body doesn’t have enough calcium, it will start to break down your bones to get what it needs. That means you lose bone mass. So it’s important to make sure you have this nutrient every day in your diet or from supplements. You can get it from Low-fat or fat-free dairy products, Calcium-fortified juices and foods, like cereal, soy milk, and tofu, Sardines and salmon with bones and Dark green vegetables, like kale and broccoli.
Vitamin D helps your body absorb the calcium you eat. Not many foods naturally have the nutrient, but you can get it in Fatty fish, like salmon, mackerel, and tuna, Beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks and Fortified foods like milk, cereal, and orange juice. Your skin also naturally makes vitamin D when sunlight hits it. You can get at least some of what you need if you spend a little time outdoors every day. But don’t overdo it — too much time in the sun raises your chances for skin cancer.
Osteoporosis becomes more common with age. It is more common in women than men. In the developed world, depending on the method of diagnosis, 2% to 8% of males and 9% to 38% of females are affected.