Osteoporosis is a common issue for women who reach middle age and beyond, but men can also experience osteoporosis as they grow older. While developing this condition does depend on genetics, employment, and your general health (some illnesses can increase your risk of bone loss), many cases can be prevented by early intervention and awareness.
Young people, especially young women, can influence the future health of their bones for the better. Take the following information into consideration to possibly save you years of pain and complications from weakened bones decades down the road.
Bone Density
Osteoporosis occurs as your bones lose essential density. Instead of staying hard and resilient, the loss of density leaves them brittle and weak. The bones are much easier to break, even with slight force, and they take longer to heal after they are fractured. Many patients can experience bone pain and other musculoskeletal pain because their bones are not supportive.
You might think of your bones as inanimate. They are hard, they can break, and they aren't malleable like a muscle or a tissue. However, bones are living, growing parts of your body, and bones continue to develop throughout adolescence and early young adulthood. You can influence the health and strength of your bones during this time of early life development.
After you reach full adulthood, your bones begin to thin. This process is natural, but people who had healthier, stronger bones will retain more bone density during this period. Adult habits can also slow the process of bone reabsorption.
Daily Habits and Prevention for Youth
The path to healthy bones involves multiple daily habits. You might take a calcium supplement for strong bones, but without the other habits and prevention techniques, the supplement itself might not do as much as you hope. To foster strong bone growth in adolescence, teens and young adults should:
- Eat nutritious foods.
Many teens rely too much on fast foods, quick energy carbohydrates, and caffeinated energy drinks. Young people who eat leafy greens, whole fruits and vegetables, dairy, and lean meats will have ample calcium supply to support bone health.
- Spend time outdoors.
Vitamin D is essential to bone health. Your body makes vitamin D with exposure to the sun. Teens who spend a lot of time inside should take a supplement. Milk sold in grocery stores is usually fortified with vitamin D, so choose this option for bone health.
- Participate in physical activity.
Your body is constantly adapting. With increased force on the bones, your body makes them stronger to help withstand more force without risk of fracture. Teens who run, swim, play team sports, or who lift weights will have denser, healthier bones.
While some habits support bones growth, others make it worse. Smoking and drinking alcohol can weaken bone development. Secondhand smoke can also have a negative impact on adolescent bone health.
Teens should also be aware that eating disorders and malnutrition put them at a huge risk for bone density loss in the future. Calorie restrictive diets combined with high levels of exercise will rob from the bones instead of building them up. No teens should go on a diet without consulting with a physician.
Even a 10 percent increase in bone mass during childhood development decreases the risk of severe bone loss during adulthood by half. As far as investments go, supporting early bone development is one of the best ones you can make.
Bone Health for Older Adults
Even after you are no longer a teen or young adult, you can still do plenty as an adult to slow bone loss. If you are not active, become so. Walking and lifting light weights is better than having no physical activity. Add whole fruits and vegetables to your diet, and talk to your doctor about adding calcium supplements.
For more information on keeping your bones healthy for years to come, contact us at Hampstead Medical Center PC.