Home Women Health Are you liable to osteoporosis? 3 ways to maintain your bones healthy

Are you liable to osteoporosis? 3 ways to maintain your bones healthy

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Are you liable to osteoporosis? 3 ways to maintain your bones healthy

Osteoporosis risk increases as we age. Irrespective of how nimble you could feel now, experts reveal 3 ways to maintain your bones strong and healthy 

Need to know tips on how to keep your bones strong and healthy?

Unless you’ve ever had a nasty fall and sustained a fracture or a broken limb, chances are high serious about your bone health isn’t exactly a top priority. Yet, irrespective of how nimble you could feel at once, it’s essential to not take your bones with no consideration.

‘Your skeleton is made up of bones,’ says Dr Nicky Keay, Sports and Dance Endocrinologist, Honorary Clinical Lecturer at University College London and writer of Hormones, Health and Human Potential.

‘This framework provides your body with support, structure, stability and likewise protects your vital organs’.

Bones also produce other functions. They interact with muscles to enable movement. They store minerals comparable to calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, and a few long bones contain marrow, wherein latest red and white blood cells are made.

irrespective of how nimble you could feel at once, it’s essential to not take your bones with no consideration

‘Bone is made up of a mixture of protein and minerals,’ says Dr Keay.

‘Collagen is the protein component of bone on which the mineral, hydroxyapatite (containing calcium and phosphorus) is deposited.

‘Collagen can be present in many soft tissues (e.g.: tendons, ligaments, skin), however it is the mineralisation of collagen that transforms collagen into bone.

‘That is what gives bone its resilient strength. If there is simply too little mineral bones grow to be bendy, which is why some children develop bow legs or rickets.

‘If there is simply too much mineral, and collagen protein is degraded, bones grow to be brittle, as in osteoporosis.  For healthy bones, collagen protein and minerals must be in balance’.

Peak Bone Mass

‘During childhood and adolescence bones are still developing until you reach peak bone mass in your early 20s,’ says Dr Keay.

‘That is when your bone mineral density is at its highest. Whenever you’re young your body makes latest bone faster than old bone is broken down. But, when you hit peak bone mass, you begin to lose bone barely more quickly than you gain it.

‘The upper your peak bone mass the more protection you must have against osteoporosis (weak, brittle bones) and osteopenia (when bone mineral density is lower than it ought to be) in later years’.

The Hormone Factor

While lifestyle aspects comparable to nutrition, exercise and sleep all have an effect in your bone health, one other major driver is your hormonal health.

‘You possibly can eat all the best foods and exercise, but in case your hormones are out of balance this may affect your bones,’ says Dr Keay.

‘So, if you happen to want healthy bones, it’s also vital to take care of your hormonal health.

‘Oestrogen, particularly oestradiol (essentially the most energetic type of oestrogen) is crucial for bone health, since it promotes the activity of bone-producing cells (osteoblasts).

in case your hormones are out of balance this may affect your bones

‘The skeletal system accommodates bone-specific oestradiol receptors that help to inhibit bone loss and support healthy bone formation. Probably the most rapid increase in bone mineral density occurs within the teenage years, during puberty, when the sex hormones kick in.

‘That is the time when there’s an accumulation towards peak bone mass.  It’s no surprise that changes in bone mineral density are mirrored by changes in oestradiol levels throughout your lifetime’.

Are you at risk of osteoporosis 3 ways to keep your bones healthy knee pain

Looking After Your Bones

‘Aspects that will disrupt hormonal function during puberty, and, at any time during your reproductive years – may include eating disorders comparable to anorexia, faddy diets, poor nutrition, and even over-exercising, resulting in erratic or missed periods (amenorrhoea) and low oestrogen levels,’ says Dr Keay.

‘If not addressed, this will have an hostile effect on peak bone mass.

your whole skeleton is ‘recycled’ every 10 years or so

‘The excellent news is that bone is an energetic tissue and about 10 per cent of the skeleton is remodelled annually. This implies your whole skeleton is ‘recycled’ every 10 years or so.

‘So, even if you happen to weren’t that healthy as a teen, you possibly can still improve your bone health by making healthy lifestyle changes now’.

Tip #1 Nourish your bones

‘Getting enough calcium is crucial for bone health,’ says Dr Richard Allison, Consultant in Performance Nutrition and Clinical Dietetics at ISEH, a part of HCA Healthcare UK.

‘Adults require 1000 mg calcium day by day. Women over 50 and men over 70 need to extend calcium intake to 1200mg. Although dairy products like cheese, milk and yoghurt are excellent sources of calcium, some people cannot, or select to not, devour dairy.

‘Other foods that provide good sources of calcium include leafy greens comparable to broccoli and cabbage, tofu, almonds and certain fish, including sardines.

Are you at risk of osteoporosis 3 ways to keep your bones healthy sources of calcium

Tip #2 Get enough Sunlight and Vitamin D

‘One other aspect of bone health is getting enough sunlight,’ says Dr Allison.

‘Vitamin D is a prohormone, produced when your skin is exposed to sunlight. It is crucial in aiding the body’s calcium absorption.

Our primary source of vitamin D is from sunlight exposure

‘In case your body is low in vitamin D and calcium, this causes calcium to be taken from the bones. This weakens the bones and increases the danger of fractures.

‘Our primary source of vitamin D is from sunlight exposure. But this will be difficult within the UK where there is proscribed sunlight, especially within the winter. In consequence, the overwhelming majority of individuals don’t get enough vitamin D.

‘While you possibly can get limited quantities of vitamin D from foods such egg yolks, mushrooms, fish, and fortified almond and rice milks – this isn’t really enough. So, taking a day by day complement is a reliable solution to make sure you stay topped up’.

 Try: vegan Vitamin D Gummies, gummies sourced from  photosynthesising algae and search for one which might be sugar-free.

Are you at risk of osteoporosis 3 ways to keep your bones healthy stay active

Tip #3 Stay Lively

‘Regular exercise makes your bones stronger,’ says Dr Keays.

‘To advertise good bone health, attempt to do a minimum of half-hour exercise a day. This will be split into 10-minute slots.  Include weight bearing exercises comparable to walking, dancing, low impact aerobics as this has an osteogenic, bone-building effect.

‘Also, muscle strengthening exercises – e.g: using resistance bands, cycling, climbing, stair walking, push ups, sit ups, squats. This prompts muscles and causes them to ‘pull’ on the bones which has a positive, strengthening effect’.

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