A leading recent survey to check the prevailing risk of Osteoporosis reported that 79% of people had never checked their bone health, and 49% were unaware that women face a higher risk of fractures after menopause.
The study explored five silent risk factors of Osteoporosis.
What is Osteoporosis? The UK National Health Service explains that Osteoporosis is a condition that makes bones more fragile and more likely to break. This disease develops slowly over several years and is often only diagnosed when a fall or sudden impact fractures a bone.
Approximately 3.5 million people in the UK are estimated to have Osteoporosis, according to the Royal Osteoporosis Society. A lot of people believe that Osteoporosis only affects women, but few know that men are also affected. “One in two women and 20% of men over 50 will break a bone as a result of Osteoporosis.
The study also highlights that the idea that Osteoporosis always causes pain is another common misconception. It only hurts if you break something. The actual fragility — having fragile bones — doesn’t hurt or cause symptoms. It’s the broken bones that cause all the symptoms, problems, and pain that we associate with the condition.
What are the main risk factors of Osteoporosis?
- Family History: It is important to identify this risk factor early to prevent fractures, and this risk factor includes things like family history, so if you’ve got Osteoporosis in the family, for example, research suggests that if one of your parents broke their hip, you are more likely to break a bone yourself. It’s not as obvious as some of the other conditions, where there is a really strong genetic link, but the study says there seem to be family traits.
- Age: We reach our peak bone health at the age of 30, and it begins to naturally decline as we get older, according to the Royal Osteoporosis Society. We’re all building our bones during childhood and adolescence, and there are two types of cells in the bone: the cells that break bone down, and the cells that build up bone,” explains the study. During our childhood and adolescence, the cells that build up bone work more quickly than the cells that break it down to build our skeleton. Then, when we get into our 30s, we plateau as both cell types work at the same rate, and in our 40s, the cells that break down bone start to take over as the faster workers. So, we all start to lose bone quite naturally as a consequence of ageing. However, the study stresses that Osteoporosis is not just a disease of the elderly. It can affect people around menopause and, more unusually, it can also affect people a lot younger than that. But that is usually due to something else going on, which has affected their risk of Osteoporosis.
How To Prevent Osteoporosis and Keep Your Bones Strong
- Gender: Osteoporosis is more common in women than men, partly because women tend to build less strong bones than men to start with, explains the study. Also, around the time of the menopause, we start to lose the protective effects of oestrogen. Oestrogen is a hormone we produce pre-menopausally that protects our bones; when we lose that protection, bone loss accelerates, increasing the risk of Osteoporosis.
- Medications: Certain medications, such as steroids, can have a negative impact on our bones. Some steroids play an important part in the management of lots of conditions, like arthritis and some inflammatory bowel conditions, but unfortunately, they’re not good for bones. This is because steroids can affect those bone-building cells and dampen their actions. So, it’s important that when these drugs are prescribed, whoever’s prescribing them should also consider that person’s bone health at the same time.
- Lifestyle Factors: Drinking too much alcohol and smoking are damaging for many health reasons, including the impact they can have on our bones, says the study. Keeping your body weight within a healthy range for your age and height is also very important. Limiting dietary intake to the extent that your body weight is dangerously low, for example, can have a significant impact on bone health because you won’t be getting the nutrition your bones need, and often periods will stop, which is a sign that you’re not producing oestrogen, which is not good for your bones. So, keeping active, eating a well-balanced, calcium-rich diet, not smoking, and keeping alcohol consumption within the government guidelines are all going to help your bones.
How is Osteoporosis officially diagnosed?
It will start with a conversation with your GP about the risk factors, and they may then suggest a bone density scan, which will show how your bone strength compares to the average. Then, if your bone density is within the range that is classified as Osteoporosis, your GP may consider prescribing a drug treatment to help reduce the risk of fractures.
About the Author: Renu Bakshi, AKA Fitness Buffhq, is an ISSA-certified Elite Trainer. He
passed the Personal Fitness Trainer, Nutrition Health Coach, and Specialist Exercise Therapy courses from ISSA, USA, obtaining +97 % marks. He shares his experience and knowledge about nutrition and effective workouts to get you in the best shape of your life, no matter how old you may be. The author says, “Age is just a number!”
IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is general and for information only because it doesn’t consider your health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalized health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should determine if the information is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.
