Your primary defense in the prevention of osteoporosis consists of building strong bones. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), this is especially important before the age of 30. You can build strong bones by eating the proper foods and following nutritional recommendations. Once you build strong bones, you need to know maintain their strength. Living a healthy lifestyle is important. There is no cure for osteoporosis, so prevention is the key. It is never too early or too late to start.
Vitamin D
Consume proper amounts of Vitamin D. Your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. If you do not consume enough Vitamin D, your body obtains calcium from your bones. Vitamin D can come from the sun or the foods you eat.
According to the NOF, adults under age 50 need 400-to-800 IU daily. Adults over age 50 need 800-to-1000 IU daily. Even though there are two types of vitamin D supplements, vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol), they have the same effect upon our bone health. In addition to supplements, you can get vitamin D from saltwater fish, liver, egg yolks and fortified milk.
Calcium
Consume enough calcium. Primary prevention of osteoporosis involves getting the recommended amounts of calcium daily. Calcium is important for bone health as well as muscle, nerve and heart functioning. According to NOF recommendations, you need 1,000 mg of calcium daily if you are under age 50. If you are over age 50, the recommended amount is 1,200 mg daily. You can get calcium from either foods or supplements.
According to the USDA, foods high in calcium include milk products such as yogurt (whole milk, fat-free, low-fat and reduced-fat varieties), frozen yogurt, ice milk, low-fat and whole-fat ice cream, margarine, custard, cream, sour cream, butter, puddings and tapioca. Cheeses, both soft and hard, are high in calcium. These include soft cheeses such as cottage cheese and ricotta cheese. Hard-cheese varieties include Swiss, cheddar, Havarti, mozzarella and Parmesan.
There also are a variety of products such as orange juice and breakfast cereals that are calcium fortified.
Exercise
Get more physical activity. According to the NOF, good bone health depends upon exercise. Weight-bearing exercise is recommended since it is most beneficial to increasing your bone density. Strong bone density is a primary factor in the prevention of osteoporosis.
Recommended weight-bearing exercises include jogging, climbing stairs, hiking, racquet sports such as tennis and racquetball, dancing and/or walking. Walking is the chosen exercise, according to the American Heart Association. It has the lowest drop-out rate of all physical activities. Plus, walking is convenient and needs no additional equipment other than a good pair of walking shoes.
Other
Stop smoking. NOF recommends you either avoid, or limit, alcohol use. You may want to have a bone-density test to see if you have osteoporosis. Early detection is important since osteoporosis can occur for years undetected until it results in a bone fracture. Talk with your medical-care provider about bone health.
Tags: bone health, strong bones, bone density, build strong, build strong bones, calcium daily, calcium from
