Osteoporosis literally means ‘porous bones’. Our bones are made up of a thick
outer shell and a strong inner honeycomb mesh of tiny struts of bone.
Osteoporosis means some of these struts become thin or break. This makes the
bone more fragile and prone to break. It often remains undetected until the
time of this first broken bone. Broken wrists, hips and spinal bones are the
most common fractures in people with osteoporosis. (National Osteoporosis Association)
There are two types of cells which are constantly at work in our bones.
One set builds up new bone while another set break down old bone. Up until
our mid-20s the ‘construction’ cells work the hardest building strength into
our skeleton, it is at this age we reach skeletal maturity and maximum bone
density.
From our 40s onwards, the demolition cells play a larger role compared to that
of the building/contsruction cells and our bones gradually lose their density
as a natural part of ageing.
Sadly, one in two women and one in five men over the age of 50 in the UK will
break a bone, mainly as a result of osteoporosis.
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There are several ‘risk’ factors and groups of people ‘at risk’, these are
listed below.
• Immobility and sedentary lifestyles
• Early menopause or hysterectomy in women, before the age of 45
• Men if they have low levels of testosterone (known as hypogonadism)
• People who have broken a bone after only a minor trauma (called a fragility
fracture)
• People who take corticosteroid medication (for conditions such as asthma
or arthritis)
• People with a family history of osteoporosis, particularly if your mother
has broken her hip
• Medical conditions which affect the absorption of foods, such as Crohn’s
disease, coeliac disease or ulcerative colitis
• Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
• Smokers
• Women who are underweight or are recognised as having an eating disorder
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Unfortunately, You cannot see or feel your bones getting thinner. Many people are unaware of any problems until they break a bone or start to lose height.
Here at Ridgeway, we are able to measure your bone density using a special
scan, called a dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan. It is a simple,
painless procedure and is recommended for those people who we consider to be
at risk of osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis diagnosed on a bone density scan does not always mean you have
a high risk of breaking a bone at the time of the scan so a drug treatment
is not always necessary or appropriate. The way in which you live your life
can be a large facter and certain lifestyle changes may help in the prevention
of or reduction of osteporotic changes.
The way we live our lives can have a major impact on the health of our bones.
It's worth remembering that bones are alive and constantly changing. Old, worn
out bone is replaced with new bone in a process called 'bone turnover'. A child's
whole skeleton is replaced within about two years. In adults this process takes
longer - about seven to 10 years. So while this is happening it is important
that we give our bones a helping hand. We take it for granted that our skeleton
will provide a solid framework for life but heart, skin and eyes, it needs
looking after!
There are measures you can take to influence bone health.
Although some of these steps don’t sound much they are still an important and
that
can make a difference.
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There is no getting away from the fact that exercise is the best way to help
strengthen your bones.
The research is plentiful and it is a well known fact that your bones grow
stronger if you do weight-bearing exercise. Good examples are:
• Jogging
• Aerobics
• Tennis
• Weight lifting
• Dancing
• Brisk walking
A good way to help maximise the density of your bones when you are younger
is to do brief bouts of high impact exercise. Activities as simple as jumping
up and down on the spot, provide a force to the hip and spine, it is the impact
when your feet hit the ground that gives stess to the bones causing them to
increase bone building cell activity, strengthen the bones.
Another form of excellent bone-building exercise includes using weights, where
the action of the tendons pulling on the bones seems to cause greater bone
density. But don't be put off, any form of weight lifting, such as simply lifting
a tin of beans in front of the TV, can help strengthen your wrist bones, a
common site for broken bones due to osteoporosis. are known to be of benefit.
If you already have osteoporosis you may need to be careful of vigorous, high
impact exercise but it's important to stay active and find something you
enjoy. Gradually increasing the amount of physical activity you do at any
age, even if you are in your 90s, will benefit your bones. Leading an active
lifestyle will ensure you have good balance and co-ordination as well as
develoing muscle strength. All these can reduce your risk of falling and
therefore breaking a bone, particularly your hip. Good examples are:
• Gardening
• Walking
• Golf
• Tai Chi
As we all know, healthy eating is essential for our overall health,It's also
important to tuck into bone friendly foods to provide the proper nutrients
for maximising bone strength. The body contains 1kg of calcium, 99 percent
of which is stored in our bones. It is important we eat plenty of calcium
but lots of other vitamins and minerals are also important. If you enjoy
a wide variety of food you will get a mix of all the vitamins and minerals
you need.
It's a good idea to avoid:
• Too much protein - particularly animal protein such as meat and cheese. Excessive
amounts of protein may upset the acid balance within the body which then takes
calcium from the bones to neutralise it.
• Too many grain foods like cereal and bread can have the same effect. Eating
plenty of fruit and vegetables should keep your body's acid balance stable.
• Lots of salt - high levels of sodium can increase the amount of calcium the
body secretes of through urine. Watch out for 'hidden' levels of salt in processed
foods!
• Drinking lots of fizzy drinks - phosphate, in the form of phosphoric acid,
is used to improve the flavour in a lot of fizzy drinks and too much can cause
the body to use calcium to balance levels.
• Drinking too much caffeine - again, a high consumption of caffeine could
affect the balance of calcium in the body. Try to limit your intake to one
or two cups a day.
• Letting your weight drop too low or being overweight is not good for general
health but being underweight increases the risk of broken bones when you fall.
In younger women severe weight loss may stop menstrual periods because hormone
levels drop which can also increase your risk of breaking a bone.
If we eat a healthy, varied diet, especially high in fresh fruit and vegetables
(organic where possible) and organic grass fed meats then we should be able
to get all the vitamins and minerals we need from food. It's certainly a
lot tastier than pills!
As we get older, some of us may absorb nutrients less efficiently. Many older
people also have smaller appetites so may benefit from supplements if they
are getting insufficient nourishment from food.
Vitamin D is vital to help the body absorb calcium. The main source is the
sun through our skin which the body converts into Vitamin D and stores in
our fat. In this way it can manufacture and store enough of the vitamin to
see us through the winter months when the sun is not strong enough to have
an effect. Most of us will get enough sun to help our bones if we get out
and about in the summer without even thinking about it. But be careful not
to burn. Unfortunately, there has recently been a rise in osteoporosis and
a return of ricketts due to the fact that prevelance of skin cancer has led
to a push and drive to get us all to cover up and stay out of the sun. This
has meant that we are now depleted in our sources and levels of vitamin D.
Please remember, excessive sun exposure can harm the skin, but if sensible,
exposure at little and often intervals can be of benefit.
Many people are reluctant to give up milk as it has always been promoted as
a wholesome, healthy drink, rich in calcium for strong bones. This is the milk
myth and what those profiting from the sales of dairy products would like you
to believe. Dairy products are absolutely not essential for optimum health
and fitness.
A substantial body of scientific evidence shows the link between bone health
and dairy product consumption is weak. In fact to build strong bones and healthy
bodies, children need exercise, sunshine, and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.
Our bodies do not have any nutritional requirement for dairy products, nor
do they receive any nutritional gains from dairy, in fact, it is known that
serious problems can result from the proteins, sugar and fat found in milk
products. Milk contains significant amounts of saturated fat, which can lead
to obesity and contribute to heart disease and certain forms of cancer. Although
we do need a certain amount of fat in our diets, saturated fat is the wrong
kind, and cows’ milk contains little of these good essential fatty acids.
Most of our body’s calcium is found in our bones, but in addition there is
a small amount in our bloodstream, which plays an important role in skeletal
muscle contraction and cardiac muscle for the maintenance of the heartbeat.
Calcium in the blood is constantly being lost through urine, sweat and faeces.
Replacement calcium is drawn from the bones, levels of which are dependant
on fresh supplies from the food we eat. Diets rich in animal protein, such
as that found in cows’ milk, make the blood more acidic. The body tries to
neutralise this by drawing calcium from the bones into the bloodstream, which
is filtered through the kidneys and lost through urine. The more dairy products
consumed, the more calcium the body requires to balance the losses. Contrary
to what most people believe - because it is what we are told by the dairy industry
and government advertisements - eating excessive amounts of dairy products
can therefore contribute to weak bones and osteoporosis, not help build strong
bones!
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The 21st Century has seen a real and rapid rise in lifestyle diseases that affect overall health and performance. These include diabetes, sudden heart attacks, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, heavy headaches, depression – the list goes on and on but where do you start?
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