FEEL GOOD IN YOUR BONES

BONE HEALTH IS CRUCIAL FOR OUR FITNESS. VICKIMARIE COSSAR LOOKS INTO HOW TO KEEP BONES IN TIP-TOP CONDITION

THE health of your bones isn’t something you’ve probably thought about, like gut health, or eye health. However, your bones are living tissue and not only do they provide structure to the body, but they protect organs, anchor muscles and store calcium – an essential nutrient that keeps bones strong, helps muscles move, enables nerves to send messages around the body and is involved in the function of blood vessels and the production of hormones and enzymes that influence our body functions.

‘The adult human skeleton is made up of 206 bones,’ says Emmanuel Udomhiaye, musculoskeletal physiotherapist at Bupa Health Clinics. ‘They are mostly made up of collagen and calcium. Bones are the framework of your body and are continuously changing over time. We build almost all our bone density when we’re children and into our teenage years with bits of old bone being replaced by new ones. Typically, bones stop growing around 16 to 18 years of age, but the total amount of bone tissue you have will increase slowly, until your late twenties.’

Your bone mass peaks in your thirties and dwindles with age. Looking after your bones is important to help prevent bone weakness, osteoporosis and fractures in later life. Everything from what you eat and drink to your gender and fitness regime, can have an impact on the state of your bones. ‘Not getting enough calcium in your diet can increase your chances of getting osteoporosis and vitamin D is important because it helps the body use that calcium,’ says Emmanuel.

‘Not exercising or being inactive for long periods of time affects your bone health as can body weight. Bone health has been linked to eating disorders such as anorexia. Women have smaller bones than men and lose bone faster because of hormone changes, particularly ones that happen after menopause. Smoking cigarettes can stop your body from using the calcium you eat and people who drink a lot of alcohol are also more likely to have weaker bones.’

Osteoporosis (also known as brittle bone disease) is characterised by low bone mass and deterioration in the structure of the bone which ultimately causes the bones to become fragile and more likely to fracture.

Yet it is largely preventable – how we eat, live and exercise has an enormous impact on how healthy are bones are. There’s no time like the present to take action, so we asked the experts for some tips...