Osteoporosis: it has no cure, so get a head start on prevention!

Defining Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that affects 1 in 3 women worldwide and is characterized by the loss of bone mass,also known as porous bones, due to the lack of calcium. Next to the pain associated with this disease is an obvious lack of vitality caused by the frailty of the bones and their increased tendency to fracture. Other physical changes imposed by osteoporosis, like the decrease in stature and muscle strength, put another damper on a woman’s vitality. 

What are the factors that contribute to osteoporosis?

The general conception is that osteoporosis affects post-menopausal women due to the decrease in the hormone estrogen and its direct effect on bone density. But what most women fail to recognize is that osteoporosis has another cause, which can start as early as adolescence if a woman’s diet lacks the sufficient amounts of calcium, necessary for maintaining bone health, so as adults they start to lose up to 1% of their bone mass every year, and the rate accelerates to 30% by the age of 50 years.

In addition to that, smoking, sedentary lifestyle and other unhealthy habits can also negatively affect bone health and increase the risk of developing osteoporosis.

Did you know?

Osteoporosis affects 1 million women worldwide, and this increases their risk of bone fracture.

No cure is as good as prevention!

A healthy lifestyle is a key to vitality, and maintaining a healthy balanced diet that is rich in calcium and vitamin D helps you prevent osteoporosis throughout your adult life, not to mention that regular exercise (especially weight-bearing physical activity such as walking and jogging) can help you build and maintain your bone strength. It is also important to expose yourself to the sun which promotes vitamin D uptake by the bones, which in turn helps you better absorb calcium from your food and strengthens your bones even more.

Build up your bones and preserve them for life!

With half of the world’s women suffering from a certain degree of osteoporosis after the age of 50, nutrition specialists around the world advise adult women to consume 1000 milligrams of calcium daily and to spend at least 15-20 minutes in the sun, three times a week, as well as perform some kind of physical activity for at least half an hour most days of the week. All this in order to build their bone mass during adolescence, and to maintain their bone density throughout their adulthood, for the ultimate prevention of osteoporosis.