The application of preventive measures for osteoporosis is really necessary to minimize dangerous complications later. The way to do it is not difficult or complicated, largely depends on daily living habits, training, and nutrition.
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What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones weaken, become fragile and break easily due to the loss of an essential mineral (Calcium) that has not been replaced. The disease develops slowly over several years, with no obvious symptoms until it is diagnosed after a fracture from a fall or minor impact. Some of the most common injuries in patients with osteoporosis include:
- Fractures of the arm and wrist
- Spine vertebrae
- Fracture of the femoral neck
In addition, fractures of the arm and pelvis can also occur due to this disease. Even many cases of broken ribs after just one cough or sneeze. In addition, osteoporosis in the elderly is also evident in the forward bending position (Old age stooped). Caused by the collapse of the vertebral body, supporting the body weight also becomes difficult.
Causes of osteoporosis
Osteoporosis comes from many different causes: including primary osteoporosis and secondary osteoporosis. In which risk factors: gender (female), age, and genetics are not modifiable. Some other common factors include: (1)
- Calcium deficiency diet
- Vitamin D deficiency in the body
- Tobacco abuse
- Drink more than two glasses of alcohol per day
- Drinking more than three cups of coffee a day causes the body to absorb too much caffeine
- The body is not physically active
- Due to early menopause (before age 45)
- Use of corticosteroids at higher doses for more than 3 months in the treatment of asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and other conditions
In addition, those in the risk group will also face a higher risk of osteoporosis. Notable examples include:
- People with thyroid disease or an overactive thyroid
- Patients with rheumatoid arthritis
- People with chronic liver and kidney disease
- People who are experiencing conditions that affect the body’s ability to absorb nutrients such as Crohn’s disease, Celiac disease, and some other inflammatory bowel diseases
Effective ways to prevent osteoporosis
In addition to factors that cannot be changed such as genes, age, sex, etc., prevention of osteoporosis can be done by improving daily living habits and nutrition. Some useful guidelines are as follows:
Exercise
The right body movement exercises will promote increased bone density and improve balance to limit the risk of falls. However, before starting any exercise program, it is absolutely necessary to consult a doctor. Especially for people who are sedentary, over 75 years old, or have a medical condition. General recommendations in the matter of exercise to prevent osteoporosis include:
- If the goal is to prevent osteoporosis, exercises such as jogging, brisk walking, dancing, tennis, etc. are ideal choices.
- Endurance exercises are also very beneficial for bone health, growth, and maintenance of strength and muscle mass.
- Exercises such as yoga, tai chi, etc. are also very beneficial because they help to improve the balance of body, minimizing dangerous falls.
However, the exercise should be maintained with moderate intensity. In fact, many women today are running very heavy exercises while following strict diets that lead to many serious health problems. In particular, this causes menstrual cycles to be disturbed, and low estrogen levels lead to negative effects on bones.
Diet rich in vitamin D and calcium
The amount of calcium needed by the body of an adult is about 1,000mg/day. However, men over 70 and women over 50 need to consume 1,200 mg/day.
The reason is that if the body lacks calcium, the process of bone breakdown will take place to compensate for the amount of substance needed, leading to common osteoporosis. Therefore, it is really necessary to add enough nutrients to the daily diet. Some food sources rich in calcium include:
- Low-fat or fat-free dairy products.
- Fruit juices, calcium-fortified foods such as cereals, soy milk, tofu, etc.
- Sardines and salmon with bones.
- Dark green vegetables such as kale, broccoli, etc.
Vitamin D helps the absorption of Calcium become more efficient and favorable. Specifically, each day, the body needs 600 IU (international units) for adults up to 70 years old and 800 IU for subjects over 70. In fact, there are not many foods that naturally contain Vitamin D, Some additional sources you can refer to include:
- Fatty fish: Salmon, mackerel, tuna.
- Beef liver, cheese, egg yolk.
- Milk, cereal, orange juice.
In addition, the skin is also capable of synthesizing natural vitamins when exposed to morning sunlight. However, overuse is not recommended because it increases the risk of skin cancer.
Stop smoking and drinking alcohol
Drinking more than two glasses of alcohol a day increases the risk of osteoporosis. The effects of smoking are similar, even more, serious by disrupting the hormone Estrogen in the body.
Sunbathing
The skin needs to be exposed to the sun every day to promote the production of Vitamin D. This is a simple but effective osteoporosis prevention measure. However, the habit of sunbathing also needs to follow health recommendations to avoid cancer as well as a few other unwanted problems.
Limit soda intake
Soda is one of the leading causes of osteoporosis. The reason is that this drink contains a large amount of phosphorus, which prevents the body from absorbing calcium. Therefore, it is best to replace soda with nutritious drinks such as juice, soy milk, etc. to effectively prevent osteoporosis.
Maintain weight
Being underweight and overweight can both increase your risk of osteoporosis and harm your health. Therefore, maintaining a reasonable, stable weight is really important.
Protein supplement
Protein is found in every cell of the body, including bones. Many studies have also shown that protein supplementation increases bone mineral density. The recommended daily intake of protein per pound of body weight is 0.4g. Some protein-rich foods include eggs, milk, cheese, almonds, etc.
Periodic bone density check
Regular check-ups will help determine bone strength and detect osteoporosis early (if any). Currently, the most commonly used method is a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA or DEXA) system scan using a small amount of radiation to measure bone density.
However, this method is not suitable for everyone. Therefore, it is really important to consult a specialist before doing so. Besides the method of treatment by adjusting the lifestyle and nutrition, the specialist doctors will also prescribe the patient to use drugs to treat osteoporosis.
Final thought
Osteoporosis can negatively affect your well-being and might cause some other issues to your physical health. To prevent osteoporosis, you should practice these effective methods above for the sake of your overall health.
Top News hopes this article can help you learn more about the effective ways to prevent osteoporosis!
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