A bone of contention?

Friday 4th December 2009 9:18am

elderly walking Not a day goes past that there isn’t a story in the mainstream media about the costs to society of poor bone health.

Unfortunately, like blood pressure and cholesterol, it usually isn’t until it’s too late before at an individual level we become aware of it. Like these other two it’s largely symptom-less so it doesn’t pop into our heads to be proactive about prevention all that often.

Unlike cholesterol and high blood pressure though the results of treatment aren’t all that great. This is largely because the bulk of your bone’s mass is laid down through your younger years until age about 25. After that they remain fairly stable until mid-life when, for women in particular, your body starts to draw down on the calcium bank you have stored up. The problem comes when, like your bank account, you over draw your account!

What can you do?

You’ve heard it all before but it is worth making these points again just in case you did miss the message!

Exercise

Exercising throughout life is essential to bone health. In your younger year’s weight bearing exercise increases the density of your bones giving you more to draw on later in life. Through the middle and later years regular exercise keeps bone density up but just as importantly it helps maintain balance and muscle strength; both vital elements in the prevention of falls and therefore fractures.

Nutrients

Adequate intake of calcium, magnesium and vitamin D are all essential to good bone health. Vitamin D is naturally formed from cholesterol in the blood and the action of UV light on the skin. If you don’t get adequate exposure to the sun (20 minutes a day or thereabouts) the supplementing with Vitamin D is warranted. Calcium and magnesium are best taken in a 2:1 ratio to maximise bone strength so look for a combination product that has these two elements. Good ones like Herb Valley’s Calcium Complete also contain your vitamin D all in the one daily tablet.

Things to avoid

The don’ts are nearly as important as the do’s when it comes to bone health. Smoking and heavy alcohol consumption have both been cited as risk factors for osteoporosis as well as a myriad of other health related concerns. Seek help to give up smoking and try to stick to no more than 2 or 3 alcoholic drinks a day. Remember that it’s the long term average alcohol intake that is most important, not that you might go over this number from time to time.

This information is not intended as a substitute for qualified medical advice. Please consult a properly qualified health care practitioner.