Osteoporosis is not an old age problem

BUILDING BONE HEALTH AT A YOUNG AGE KEY TO BEATING CONDITION — DOCTORS

Building bone health at a young age is critical, doctors say

Very often the elderly experience painful fractures by just stepping hard on something, sneezing or even turning sides on the bed. Strange as that may sound, it’s a sign of the bones becoming brittle, fragile and prone to breakage easily, which marks the onset of osteoporosis.

While osteoporosis may be experienced on or after the age of 60 years, the foundation for strong bones is laid by the age of 25, by when we build up our maximum bone stock. So what you eat and how active you are at a young age literally determines if you are likely to have healthy bones, said orthopaedic specialists ahead of World Osteoporosis Day on October 20.

In the UAE, the average population is still young and the real manifestation of osteoporosis will be seen by 2030 as ■

Eat high-calcium foods the disease strikes older people. The International Osteporosis Foundation (IOF) has alerted that with nearly 78 per cent of the population suffering from Vitamin D deficiency and over 700 hip fractures occurring every year in the UAE, there is need to take note of the poor Bone Mineral Density ( BMD) in a large section of the population. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Take enough protein

Get enough Vitamin D and K Maintain stable weight Do weight bearing exercises Do strength training

Dr Shrirang Madhusudhan Joshi, specialist arthroscopy and joint replacement at the RAK Hospital, explained: “Osteoporosis literally means porous bones which implies the minerals hollow out of the bones leaving them fragile and prone to fractures, especially of the hip, spine and wrist, and thereby reducing life expectancy.” SCAN ME Find out more on what you can do to tackle osteoporosis.

Dr Madheswaran Mani, specialist rheumatologist at Prime Hospital, said: “Our bone health has to be taken care of from a young age when the body has the capacity to build up on bone density. Human bones are a living tissue made up largely of collagen and calcium phosphate among other minerals that fill up the honeycomb structure of the tissue. Almost 99 per cent of the body’s calcium is found in our bones and teeth with one per cent in our blood.”

Dr Joshi explained: “The body requires serum calcium for ideal heart health and if one is deficient in calcium, it is taken from the bones to maintain equilibrium for the sake of heart health. That is why stores of calcium need to be replenished.”

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