Bone Health at Every Age
Bones play a major role in the body, which is why keeping them healthy should be a priority at every age and stage of your life. While it’s never too late to make healthy modifications to your diet and exercise routine to improve your bone health, it’s not something you should put off for another time.
So read on, and see what you can do to improve your bone health for today, tomorrow and the future.
Age 18 and younger
When parents think about their kids’ health, bone health doesn’t often come to mind. But building healthy bones early can prevent osteoporosis and fractures down the road.
Enrich your child’s diet with foods that are full of calcium and vitamin D to kickstart bone health from an early age. Incorporate items like almonds, bok choy, broccoli, calcium-fortified orange juice, rice and salmon, milk, yogurt, cheese and more to set them on the right track for healthier bones.
In addition to a healthy diet, exercise – especially weight-bearing activities like walking, running, hiking, dancing, tennis, basketball, gymnastics and soccer – can help build bone density and strength.
Ages 20-30
Although your body isn’t forming new bone as readily when you reach your twenties, your bones will actually reach their peak strength during these years. Because of this, it’s important to maintain a calcium intake of at least 1,000 mg per day, get sufficient vitamin D and complete at least 30 minutes of weightbearing exercise, four or more times per week.
For pregnant or breastfeeding women, sufficient calcium and vitamin D intake is imperative as babies may pull calcium from the mother’s bones in order to build their own skeletons. Talk to your doctor and set a plan that promotes bone health during your pregnancy journey.
Ages 30-50
After reaching peak bone mass in your twenties, you will begin to gradually lose bone. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons explains,
All through your life, your body is continually removing old bone and replacing it with fresh bone. This process is called remodeling. Up until about age 40, all the bone removed is replaced. After age 40, however, less bone is replaced. At this stage in life, getting enough exercise, calcium and vitamin D every day are crucial to minimizing bone loss.
Ages 50 to 70
While the recommended calcium intake for men over 50 remains the same at around 1,000 mg per day, it’s recommended that women going through menopause increase their daily intake to 1,200 mg per day.
The National Health Service reports that “women can lose up to 20% of their bone density in the five to seven years after menopause.” This drop in bone density is caused by falling levels of estrogen – a hormone that helps protect bone strength. Yet despite this decrease in bone density, a women’s risk for osteoporosis and fractures stays relatively low until much later in life.
If your period becomes irregular or you start experiencing signs of menopause, talk to your doctor and set a plan.
Age 70 and older
After reaching the age of 70, both men and women become more susceptible to bone fractures. Because of this, males and females should increase their calcium intake to 1,200 mg per day. In addition, men should start talking to their doctors about bone density testing.
Fall prevention is especially important around the age of 70. Falls are the leading cause of injury in elderly people in the United States and are often the reason seniors lose their independence and enter assisted living facilities.
Fortunately, some falls can be prevented by setting a plan early and sticking to a calcium, vitamin D and exercise regimen throughout one’s life.
For more information about bone health, talk to an orthopaedic expert at Covenant HealthCare. Our experienced team and advanced technology are part of the reason CareChex® ranked us #1 in 2017 for Medical Excellence in orthopaedic care in the Great Lakes Bay Region*.
Learn more about orthopaedics at Covenant HealthCare here.
*According to CareChex® ‐ an information service of Quantros, Inc.
Posted Date: 2/27/2018