Reduce Your Risk of Osteoporosis with Calcium and Exercise

Osteoporosis is a significant health threat, and affects nearly forty-five million Americans. Women are twice as likely to develop this disease as men, but every person is at risk. There is no cure for osteoporosis once the disease takes hold. Therefore, prevention through exercise and calcium supplementation is the key to maintaining bone health.

During youth, the skeleton acts as a sort of calcium warehouse for the rest of the body. When a person reaches middle age, their bones tend to lose calcium and minerals faster than they can be replaced. If this loss is not quickly stopped, osteoporosis begins to develop and causes the bones to become brittle and less dense. When bones in the spine are weakened by osteoporosis, even the amount of pressure caused by body weight can cause tiny cracks and lead to chronic back pain, curvature of the spine, and loss of height.

Osteoporosis is most common in those over the age of seventy, and postmenopausal women are especially at risk. After menopause, levels of bone-protecting estrogen drop. Osteoporosis can gradually become worse while producing no physical symptoms. The first sign of this disease may be the sudden breaking of a bone for no obvious reason. Other symptoms may include severe backache, stooped or hunched posture, and frequent fractures in the hips, ribs, wrists, or spine.

Osteoporosis Prevention is Crucial

Once significant damage has been done to the bones, quality of life can be greatly reduced. Osteoporosis can be prevented through weight-bearing exercise and calcium supplementation. The progression of this disease can be slowed by proper diet, exercise, and increased calcium intake. Menopausal women can also reduce their risk of bone fractures by up to fifty percent through the use of hormone replacement medications.

It is important to begin preventive care early. Women should be mindful of the amount of calcium available in their diet, and if dietary sources of calcium are not adequate, they should take a daily calcium supplement. A painless bone-density scan can test for bone loss and signs of the early stages of osteoporosis. Preventing bone loss should be a priority for any woman at risk, but increasing daily intake of calcium can be beneficial even after a diagnosis is made.