20th October – WORLD OSTEOPOROSIS DAY

By Bailey Cockerill

Defⁿ: Osteo – Bone; Porosis – Porous

A porous bone disease resulting in a high risk of bone fracture

Osteoporosis is considered to be one of the most common bone diseases and is easily preventable if you know the do’s and don’ts. Prevention, in this instance is without doubt better than cure!

What Causes Osteoporosis?

Throughout our lives the skeletal structure is continuously being remodeled with old bone tissue being removed (resorbed) and laid down (reformed). Unfortunately the bone reformation process is slowed down the older we get resulting in more resorbtion occurring and less bone density resulting. Once women reach menopause and there is a resultant drop in oestrogen levels, an accelerated bone loss can be noticed. This is not to say that men are not equally at risk as once testosterone levels begin to drop, they too can be at higher risk.

Who is at Risk?

• Females (not that males aren’t though!!)  
  
• Smokers  
  
• Individuals with inadequate caloric intake  
  
•  Inactive individuals
  
• Ammenorrhoeric females (prolonged absence of menstrual cycle usually associated with overly active female athletes) – Balance is key  
  
• Early onset of menopause

Prevention?

Healthy diet with adequate amounts of calcium. Remember that Vitamin D is needed to help absorb calcium – you can’t have one without the other!

Limit smoking, caffeine and alcohol intake as they may lead to increased bone loss. 

Do weight bearing exercises (eg. walking, jogging, resistance exercises etc) Not only does it help with actual bone density, but also improves balance which is imperative in helping prevent falls that can result in serious fractures if already struggling with osteoporosis.

Have regular checks for your bone density. A DEXA scan is the most accurate form of screening.

Other risk factors include a family history of osteoporosis and age associated changes in sex hormones. However these are obviously unavoidable and just need to be taken into consideration.

So, start early with a healthy diet, regular exercise and limit intake of caffeine, alcohol and smoking to keep your bones strong and healthy!