Osteoporosis – 'The Silent Disease'
There are 206 bones in the human body – all intricately linked together to form our skeletal system, the framework of our body. Without our bones, our bodies have no support for muscles, organs, nerves, arteries, veins or other tissue. We'd simply fall apart – literally! That's why it is extremely important that we keep our bones healthy and strong. If our bones break down, so do our bodies.
Unfortunately, as we age our bones become less and less dense, making them weaker and susceptible to fractures – especially in the hip, spine and wrist. If we don't take steps to preserve and protect our bones, severe bone loss results – a disease called osteoporosis. More than 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, and 18 million more have lost enough bone to make them likely to develop the disease, according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Since bone loss occurs without symptoms, people usually do not know they have osteoporosis until they break a bone – often by doing something as simple as stepping off a curb or slipping on a rug. For this reason, osteoporosis is called a "silent disease." Certain factors are linked to the development of osteoporosis or contribute to a person's likelihood of developing the disease, according to the NIA. Some of these risk factors cannot be changed; however, there are many that can be.
RISK FACTORS YOU CANNOT CHANGE:
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• Gender - Women have less bone tissue and lose bone more rapidly than men because of the drop in the production of estrogen when a woman reaches menopause.
• Menopause or Menstrual History - Early menopause (either natural or because of surgery) increases your risk. Also, a woman who experiences prolonged periods of time during which she does not menstruate prior to menopause (a condition called amenorrhea) is at higher risk for osteoporosis.
• Age - The older you are, the greater your risk of osteoporosis. Your bones become less dense and weaker as you age.
• Body size - Small, thin-boned women are at greater risk.
• Ethnicity - Caucasian and Asian women are at highest risk. African-American and Hispanic women have a lower, but still significant risk.
• Family history - Susceptibility to fracture may be, in part, hereditary. People whose parents have a history of fractures also seem to have reduced bone mass.
RISK FACTORS YOU CAN CHANGE:
• Cigarette smoking.
• Excessive use of alcohol.
• An inactive lifestyle.
• A diet chronically low in calcium and vitamin D, along with other essential nutrients for optimal bone health.
DETECTING BONE LOSS:
Since osteoporosis has no initial symptoms, it's very important that you check with your doctor about having your bone density measured, especially if you are going through menopause or think you are at higher risk for the disease. This is done through a bone mineral density (BMD) test that measures bone density in your spine, wrist and/or hip (the most common sites of fractures due to osteoporosis) or in your heel or hand.
According to the NIA, BMD tests can be very effective at:
• Detecting low bone density before a fracture.
• Confirming a diagnosis of osteoporosis if you have already experienced a fracture. • Predicting your chances of a fracture in the future.
• Determining your rate of bone loss and/or monitoring the effects of treatment if the test is conducted at intervals of a year or more.
TREATMENT AND PREVENTION
Treating osteoporosis is not a simple matter and should be carefully discussed with your healthcare provider. Physicians may prescribe medications to slow or stop bone loss, increase bone density and reduce fracture risk; however, these medications can be accompanied by side effects, such as abdominal or musculoskeletal pain, nausea, heartburn and even hot flashes. Hormone replacement therapy has been shown to be effective at preventing or treating osteoporosis, but is now considered to be a risk factor for increasing the incidence of vascular diseases and certain types of cancer.
More than 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, and 18 million more have lost enough bone to make them likely to develop the disease, according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA).
Therefore, taking the steps now to prevent bone loss (or to build bone tissue if you already have some bone loss) is the key to reducing your risk of developing osteoporosis in the future. Simple lifestyle changes, like not smoking, eliminating alcohol, and getting enough exercise (weight-bearing exercise such as walking, jogging and weight lifting in particular) are very effective steps you can take to protect your bones and keep them strong.
Most importantly, you need to get the proper balance of the essential nutrients needed for healthy bones. We all know that calcium is essential to bone health, yet the average American consumes only about 600 milligrams of calcium a day. In contrast, the National Academy of Sciences recommends 1,000 milligrams a day for adults under age 50 and 1,200 milligrams for those over 50.
But calcium alone isn't enough to prevent bone loss. Other minerals such as magnesium, potassium, boron, manganese, zinc, copper and silicon – along with vitamins C, D and K and a combination of isoflavones – are needed to strengthen and support all the components of bone tissue. It's next to impossible, however, to get enough of these key nutrients through diet alone. As a result, it is important to make a high quality nutritional supplement, balanced with all the key ingredients, an integral part of a complete program to keep your bones healthy and strong. Take action now, so that this silent disease doesn't sneak up on you.
