Stronger longer:
Lifestyle choices, weight workouts and your hormones can all impact the risk of osteoporosis. Here’s how to build, and keep, healthy bones.
build and maintain healthy bones
It was French pathologist and surgeon Jean Lobstein who coined the term osteoporosis in 1835, but it wasn’t until 1941 that endocrinologist Fuller Albright connected the dots between menopausal women and bone density. And so we began to understand our body as it ages and how that impacts our bones and life. Today we have oodles of data, bone-building medication and can even take a real-time snapshot of how many grams of calcium and minerals are packed into our bones, and yet we still have far to go; make no bones about it (sorry, first and last pun).
You’ve likely read the stats, but they bear repeating: 1.36 million Australians suffer from osteoporosis. Two out of every three women are at risk once they’re over 50. And, adding to the complexity, this is a disease without symptoms (until a fall from standing height causes a fracture) meaning that it’s believed up to 80 per cent of Australians with osteoporosis will go undiagnosed and untreated.
We have a mindset problem too: osteoporosis is more common than breast and cervical cancer combined, and yet nationwide studies reveal many don’t actually believe they’re at risk. The good news? “It’s never too late to get your bone health back on track,” says Dr Ginni Mansberg.
Here’s what we know about how to protect and improve bone health today.
Bones are full of calcium – it’s the mineral that gives them hardness and strength. The catch is that you need to get it from your diet (up to three daily serves of foods including milk, cheese and yoghurt; dark green leafy vegetables; canned salmon). “We used to think taking calcium supplements would make your bones stronger, but scientists are constantly scrutinising our assumptions because sometimes we’re wrong,” says Dr Mansberg. “We now know that they do nothing to prevent bone fractures and, in many studies, have been found to increase your risk of heart disease by hardening arteries.” The only caveat with dietary calcium: you need adequate vitamin D levels for your body to absorb it. In everyday terms, when UV levels are 3 or above, the Cancer Council recommends most people need a few minutes of sun exposure to get their daily dose.
“The good news is that it’s never too late to learn about your bone density and get your health back on track.” – Dr Ginni Mansberg