Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis means "porous bone". A person with osteoporosis typically has low bone mass, poor bone quality, and fragile bones. This combination, together with the increased risk of falling among older people, leads to painful fractures and other health problems when you least want them. While the loss of bone mass is an expected part of ageing, it has consequences for successful ageing.
Men and women experience peak bone mass in their early thirties. Genetic factors play the greatest role in determining peak bone mass, but aspects such as nutrition, drug exposure, endocrine health following puberty, weight-bearing status and excercise all contribute significantly to bone health.
For example, most teenagers and young adults do not receive the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for calcium of 1 200 mg. Smoking and excessive alcohol use contribute to low bone mass. Cortisone medication impairs bone formation. Immobility results in thinning of the bone from lack of weight-bearing forces. Malnutrition, found in patients with anorexia nervosa, also contributes to osteoporosis. Menopause also has a negative impact. It appears that body fat influences the rate of bone loss; with higher amounts of body fat protecting menopausal women from bone loss.
What can I do?
Maintain healthy bones by ensuring balanced nutrition, adequate calcium and Vitamin D intake, weight bearing excercise and no cigarettes. Adequate calcium intake is important for everyone, regardless of whether you already have osteoporosis.
The levels of calcium intake recommended are:
- Children from 1-10: 800 mg/day
- Teenagers and young adults from 11-24: 1 200 mg/day
- Pregnant and nursing mothers: 1 200mg - 1 500 mg/day
- Men, pre-menopausal women, and post-menopausal women also taking oestrogen: 1 000 mg/day
- Post-menopausal women not taking oestrogen: 1 500 mg/day
What about Supplements?
If your calcium intake does not meet the recommended calcium requirements, you can make up the difference either by consuming more dairy products and other calcium-rich foods or by taking calcium supplements.
These supplements should be taken before a meal as calcium does not absorb well when taken with food. Your total daily intake of calcium should not exceed 2 000 mg. In addition to the calcium, a supplement containing Vitamin D should be taken before bedtime. Remember to go for your bone density scan/test in order to ensureearly diagnosis of osteoporosis as well as the management of it once diagnosed. A bone density test tells you if you have normal bone density, low bone density (osteopenia) or osteoporosis. It is the only test that can diagnose osteoporosis. The lower your bone density, the greater your risk of breaking a bone. A bone density test can help you and your practitioner:
- learn if you have weak bones or osteoporosis before you break a bone
- predict your chance of breaking a bone in the future
- see if your bone density is improving, getting worse or staying the same
- find out how well the osteoporosis medicine is working
Who should go for a bone density test?
- Women aged 65 or older, regardless of additional risk factors
- Men over the age of 70
- Anyone who breaks a bone after age 50
- Women of menopausal age with risk factors
- Women who have been on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for long periods