7 HABITS TO HELP YOU PREVENT OSTEOPOROSIS

Osteoporosis is a common condition. It is estimated to affect around 200 million people worldwide. Every year, around 9 million people suffer from osteoporotic fractures. According to some research studies in Vietnam, around 25 – 30% of women aged over 60 experience osteoporosis; this figure is 10% in men aged over 50.

 

Osteoporosis is a health condition caused by decreased bone density that weakens bones, making them fragile… Osteoporosis develops slowly, with very few symptoms. As a result, the condition is often diagnosed in its later stages, which makes it hard for you to recover. Maintaining the following 7 habits to help you manage osteoporosis efficiently:

 

Calcium and Vitamin D are vital to building and maintaining strong and healthy bones, hence helping prevent osteoporosis. As you age, you tend to absorb less calcium, but getting adequate Vitamin D can help you increase calcium absorption. Maintaining a recommended level of calcium and Vitamin D from an early age would help maintain the optimal bone mass in children and reduce the risk of bone loss during adult life.
 

Therefore, increase the intake of Vitamin D and calcium-rich food in your daily diet, such as:

 

Being underweight or malnutrition increases the risk of bone loss. Obesity is also one cause of osteoporosis. Being overweight can cause bones and joints to work at their full capacity to support the heavy body, which damages bone and joint health. Therefore, you should keep a healthy weight so as not to place extra pressure on the bones by adopting a proper diet combined with reasonable daily exercises.

 

It’s necessary to maintain a reasonable exercising plan at each age. Exercising not only helps young people keep a healthy body but also help the elderly promote the flexibility of their bones and joints, boost their heart and brain health, as well as reduce stress and prevent other aging-associated diseases.

 

Vitamin D is obtained when your skin is exposed to sunlight in the right amount and at the right time. Vitamin D is necessary for bones to absorb calcium. Sunlight is not the only source of Vitamin D, Vitamin D can be also found in some foods. For those who are deficient in Vitamin D and at risk of osteoporosis, supplementing with calcium and Vitamin D is necessary.

 

You should minimize the consumption of processed / canned foods such as soft drinks, ham, smoked fish, etc. These foods contain very high levels of sodium salt while higher sodium intakes may increase calcium excretion, which causes bone loss in the elderly to occur faster.

 

Avoid alcohol, beer and tobacco as they are risk factors for osteoporosis.

 

You should not delay seeing your doctor if having signs of joint, spinal or rib pain. Without appropriate examination and treatment, once progressing severely, the disease can negatively affect the movement ability of the body.

 

At American International Hospital (AIH), our doctors offer consultation and tests on a case-by-case basis. Our team of highly qualified doctors and technicians with the support of state-of-the-art equipment such as DXA (Dual X-ray Absorptiometry) bone density scanning machine – the best tool to diagnose osteoporosis – can predict the risk of osteoporotic fractures and monitor responses to treatment over time.

 

------