BONE HEALTH

WHY IS BONE HEALTH IMPORTANT: 

Bone gives support to our body, allows us to use our muscles to walk, protects our organs, and stores and releases calcium, which is necessary not only for maintaining strong bones but also vital for the function of all the cells in our body. During childhood and adolescence, bones are sculpted by a process called Modeling. Which allows the formation of new bones at one site and the removal of old bones from another site within the same bone. This process allows bones to grow in size and to shift in space.

WHAT AFFECTS BONE HEALTH:

Many factors can affect bone health. For example-

➢ Low amount of calcium in your diet.
➢ Certain diseases that affects calcium and vit D absorption in your body.
➢ Physical inactivity
➢ Sex- Women are at high risk of osteoporosis because women have less bone tissue than men.
➢ Size- If you have a small body frame, it means you have less bone mass, which increases the risk.
➢ Age- Your bones become thinner and weaker with your age.
➢ Hormone- Too much thyroid hormone can cause bone loss. In women bone loss increases dramatically after menopause due to low estrogen level. In men bone loss occurs due to low testosterone level.

Bone health nutrition with aging:

People lose bone density with age, especially women after menopause. Bones become more brittle and break easily. With aging, the middle of the body becomes shorter as the vertebral disc gradually loses fluid and becomes thinner. Joints become stiffer and less flexible due to fluid loss. Minerals may deposit in and around some joints (calcification), which causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and deformity. These changes range from minor stiffness to severe arthritis.

Different types of bone disease:

Bone cancer, Osteoporosis, Osteopenia, Osteomyelitis, Paget’s disease, Rickets etc.

OSTEOPOROSIS: -

Osteoporosis is a bone disease where bone mineral density and bone mass decrease, or the structure and strength of bones change, leading to increase the risk of fracture.
Osteoporosis is called “Silent Disease” as it do not have any typical symptoms, and people do not even know they have the disease until someone breaks a bone.

Signs and symptoms:

Osteoporosis affects women and men of all races and occurs at any age, although the risk for developing the disease increases with age.

➢ Bones affected by osteoporosis may become so fragile that fracture occurs spontaneously as a result of minor fall, such as fall from standing or height that would not normally cause a break in a healthy bone or normal stress like bending, lifting, or even coughing.
➢ Symptoms include severe pain in the body, bone malformation, weakness, etc.

Management: 

The diagnosis of osteoporosis is primarily determined by measuring bone mineral density (BMD) using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

Treatment of osteoporosis is often based on bone density test. If your risk is not high, treatment might not include medication and might focus on modifying risk factors for bone loss and fall.

HOW TO KEEP YOUR BONES HEALTHY:

Having strong bones in childhood is a good start for bone health throughout life. People are mostly finished building bones within 20 years of age. Parents can help by making sure kids get 3 key ingredients for healthy bones-calcium, vitamin D, and exercise.

▪ Each day, at least 1 hour of physical activity is necessary from childhood.
▪ About 50% of bone is made of protein. Collagen is the main protein found in bones. So, collagen-rich diet is mandatory for healthy bones.
▪ Calcium is the most important mineral for bone health. The recommended dietary intake of calcium is 1000 mg per day. Postmenopausal women and men over 70 should take 1200 mg of calcium per day.
▪ A healthy person needs 1500–2000 IU of vitamin D per day. Women and men over age 70 should get 800 IU of vitamin D per day. Vit-D helps to absorb calcium in the body, and Vit-K supports bone health by modifying osteocalcin (a protein involved in bone formation).
▪ Avoid low-calory diet.
▪ Maintain a healthy weight.