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Osteoporosis Diet



What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis (‘porous bones’) is a disease causing bones to become fragile and more likely to break. Without prevention or treatment, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks or fractures. Any bones can be affected, but fractures occur typically in the hip and spine (these are of special concern), and the wrist.

A hip fracture impairs a person’s ability to walk without assistance, and without appropriate treatment results in longterm or permanent disability, even death. Hip fractures almost certainly require hospitalization for major surgery, while spinal or vertebral fractures are likely to cause intense back pain, loss of height, and deformity.

Why do the bones become vulnerable?

Skeletal bones have a thick outer shell, and a strong inner mesh of collagen (protein), calcium salts and other minerals. The interior has a honeycomb-like appearance, the spaces within the bone holding blood vessels and bone marrow. Bone is alive, and it changes constantly. Up to age 30, bones increase in density. During a person’s lifetime bone is continually renewed in a process called ‘bone turnover’ as old, worn out bone is lost (broken down by cells called osteoclasts) and replaced (by bone building cells called osteoblasts).

After age 30, regular exercise and correct diet will help to maintain bone mass. However, over time, especially as the population lives longer, cumulative bone loss causes the holes between bone to enlarge, making the bones more ‘porous’ and therefore fragile - hence ‘osteoporosis’. There are other causative factors as well (see below). This Osteoporosis usually affects the whole skeleton, although the most vulnerable bones are the weight- and impact-bearing hip and spine (and to a lesser degree the wrist).

Who is at risk?

Statistically, women are four times as likely to develop Osteoporosis than men in America, where millions of aging adults are at risk. In Britain, where it is estimated that 3 million people suffer from Osteoporosis, 1 of every 2 women and 1 in 5 men will suffer a fracture after the age of 50 - there are a quarter of a million fractures each year (one every 3 minutes!), half being spinal fractures, almost a fourth hip fractures, and a fifth wrist fractures.

Apart from the cumulative bone-loss problem, other factors increasing the risk of developing Osteoporosis are:

Women Men
  • a lack of oestrogen due to early menopause (before age 45)
  • early hysterectomy (before age 45), particularly with removal of both ovaries (oophorectomy)
  • missing periods for six months or more (excluding pregnancy) due to excessive exercise or dieting
  • low levels of the male hormone, testosterone (hypogonadism)
Men and Women
  • long-term use of corticosteroid tablets in high doseage (such as for arthritis and asthma)
  • history of osteoporosis in immediate family (mother or father), particularly of hip fracture in mother
  • other medical conditions (Cushing’s syndrome, liver and thyroid problems)
  • malabsorption problems (coeliac disease, Crohn’s disease, gastric surgery)
  • long-term immobility, heavy drinking of alcohol, smoking

What can be done to prevent or delay the onset of Osteoporosis?

Although there are treatments for osteoporosis once the ailment has developed (eg, healthy habits and the taking of calcium supplements can slow the process), there is currently no cure. A healthy lifestyle maintained from before age 30 is the best defense against the onset of osteoporosis. It has been shown that exercising while still a teenager increases bone mass, greatly reducing the risk of osteoporosis in adulthood. So in your healthy lifestyle you should: