|
Osteoporosis is the progressive
thinning of the bones which mainly affects women following the
menopause. Specifically, it affects one in every four women over the age
of 60, osteoporosis can affect men too. One man in every nine over the age of
60 has osteoporosis to some extent.
Osteoporosis is a slow disease,
developing over several years. It is associated with easy fractures of
the bones, mainly of the hip, wrist and spine. In the UK, osteoporosis
causes 60,000 hip fractures, 50,000 wrist fractures and 40,000 spinal
fractures every year.
Until the age of around 30, our bones
store calcium and are able to keep growing and repairing any damage
effectively. After this age, we begin to lose calcium from the bones.
The rate of this loss can be slowed down or increased depending on
certain factors. Young women should consume high calcium food to store
as much calcium as possible before the aging process starts reducing it
from the bones.
The spine may be first to be affected,
resulting in weakness and the curving of the spine called 'dowager's
hump'. It is quite common for older women to complain of back pain for
which no reason can be found initially, but on further investigation
osteoporosis is diagnosed.
An important reason for the development
of osteoporosis in women is the decline of the levels of estrogen
associated with the menopause. Low levels of estrogen are connected with
accelerated drain of calcium form the bone. HRT replaces the estrogen
but there are other factors which may help prevent osteoporosis.
As mentioned above, we all need to
build up a plentiful storage of calcium in our bones to start with. This
is only possible before the age of 30-35. After this age, the reserves
of calcium in the body gradually fall. Weight-bearing exercise, avoiding
smoking or alcohol, and a diet high in calcium all help in reducing the
rate of calcium loss from the bones.
Continue to read more about
Osteoporosis ...
Get your Bodybuilding Supplements at discounted price
|