Is Osteoporosis in your Future?
by : Jocelyn Iyog
Osteoporosis, or “porus bones” causes bones to be weaker and more prone to breaking. Low levels of calcium, phosphorous, or other minerals can lead to the disease. The symptoms of osteoporosis may not be obvious until your bones have been significantly weakened. Some symptoms that might appear include back pain which could be severe if you have a fractured vertebra, loss of height and stooped posture, or fracture of the wrist or hip.
Bone “turnover” or breaking down old bone and building new bone takes about three months start to finish. When you’re young you build bone faster than it is broken down, but after your mid-30s, you gradually get to where you lose bone slightly faster than you regenerate it. This process is amplified by menopause. Whatever your age, you can do a lot to keep your bones healthy: exercise regularly, consume enough calcium and vitamin D. Vitamin D is necessary for good calcium absorption.
The risk factors for developing osteoporosis include: your gender (more common in women); advanced age; race, particularly Southeast Asians and Caucasians; family history; frame size (thin people and people with small frames are at higher risk); eating disorders; tobacco use; and use of SSRI antidepressants.
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