Osteoporosis is a condition that causes gradual bone and joint deterioration so bones are prone to fracture or break with ease. Common affected bones are hip bones, backbones, and wrist bones. Osteoporosis is known as a “silent illness” because a victim might not notice any deviations until a bone breaks. Bones are living tissues so to keep them healthy, the body naturally breaks down old bone tissues to replace them with new, stronger ones.

While doctors can treat osteoporosis with FDA-approved medications, such as Evenity (Romosozumab), in patients at high risk of the condition (namely postmenopausal females who are at a high risk of fracturing bones), research also shows that osteoporosis can be largely prevented with the help of dietary changes and certain bone-supporting lifestyle decisions, such as:

1. Calcium rich diets
When calcium is involved, plenty of it is not always in the human body. Everybody needs to take a daily dose of the recommended prescription. With a well-balanced diet, anybody can get more out of the required calcium minerals from their nutrition and occupy the remainder with supplements. People could be consuming more calcium than they thought. Try estimating your daily calcium consumption by checking the labels of the diet. Note that the tags are on a daily grant of 1000 milligrams; therefore, if the label reads “25 percent of daily calcium,” it means that you will be consuming 250 milligrams of calcium minerals per diet.

2. Vitamin D
Vitamin D assists the body in retaining calcium, which is used to strengthen bones. When an individual is exposed to the sun;s rays, the kidney and liver are accountable for producing Vitamin D. However, a lot of people cannot depend only on sunlight to achieve the daily dose because of where they live or how much they venture outside. Sunscreens, skin tone, and seasonal variations can all impact vitamin D absorption from the sun. As many patients don’t meet the recommended daily equivalents of vitamin D via their diets, doctors may recommend spending an hour in the sun each day, or supplementing with vitamin D drops in order to satisfy the required daily goal.

3. Protein Intake
Proteins exist in every tissue of the body, including bones. Research has shown that consuming increased protein in the diet (i.e., lean meats, eggs, nuts, etc.) advances bone mineral density. The daily needed dose of protein is 0.4g per pound of weight. Proteins can be consumed from animal and protein rich plant foodstuffs (i.e., beans and nut butters).

4. Exercising
Exercising is great for both fitness, healthy weight maintenance, and bone mineral density. Exercising stimulates the tissues responsible for making bones. Not any old exercise will help you support bone health though. In fact, resistance and weight-bearing exercise up to 3 times per week is most recommended. Resistance exercise uses an opposing force, like handheld weights, elastic bands, or body gravity to strengthen muscles and bones. Strong muscles and balance also assists patients to avoid falling while lessening any injuries. The choices made in early life also impacts your bones health in the future. Consider making some variations to your life like:

  • Staying active each day
  • Consuming a balanced diet
  • Maintaining a healthy body weight
  • Reducing consumption of alcohol
  • Quitting smoking

5. Get regular bone density screenings
Bone density screenings are the only tests that can analyze bone weakness prior to bone fracture. Patients most at risk for osteoporosis (i.e., women with slight builds, those with a family history of osteoporosis, or women in their menopausal years) should consider a yearly bone density screening to assist and estimate the density of bones and the chances of fracturing a bone.