Skeletons don’t get the love they should (with the exception of spooky season, of course).
But your bones definitely deserve a standing ovation considering what they do for you.
Your bones have protected vital organs and supported your body since you were in fetal life. And they act as a storage bank for calcium, which your body needs for healthy cells and bones.
But age-related bone loss and factors such as poor diet and lack of physical activity can lead to bone diseases later in life, including:
- Osteopenia: A condition in which bone mass density is lower than it should be, making bones susceptible to fractures
- Osteoporosis: A disease that weakens bones and increases the risk of serious fractures
Read: Questions to ask your doctor about bone health >>
Bone health over the years
Bone density and strength increase throughout childhood and young adulthood, but the time to influence peak bone mass for optimal bone health is limited.
Here’s a look at the importance of women’s bone health at important stages of life.
- From birth to pre-puberty
From infancy through adolescence, your bones go through an important process called modeling.
During this time, your body forms new bone in existing bones, which grows with your body and also helps the bones move into their proper place.
Bone mass initially grows slowly and then doubles during puberty. To build strong bones, you need to consume the right amount of calcium and vitamin D through nutrient-dense food sources, fortified foods, or supplements. The recommended amount of vitamin D and calcium per day varies depending on age:
- Vitamin D:
- Infants under 12 months: 400 International Units (IU)
- Children and adolescents: 600 IU
- calcium
- 6 months and younger: 200 mg
- 7-12 months: 260 mg
- Children and adolescents: 700-1,300 mg
Deficiencies in vitamin D and calcium can affect bone health and cause a bone-softening disease called rickets. Inadequate intake of these nutrients increases the risk of bone fractures throughout childhood and adulthood, among other problems.
- Puberty to young adulthood
The teenage years are admittedly unpleasant, but also very cool for bone health.
From adolescence through young adulthood, you continue to build and strengthen your bones, which can help keep osteoporosis at bay later in life.
Think of your bones like a savings account: If you develop good bone health from a young age, you’ll have enough left over when natural bone loss begins in midlife.
Factors that can affect bone health can include:
- The age at which you hit puberty: Research shows that early onset of puberty is associated with higher bone mass density and strength. However, delayed onset of puberty (after age 12) is associated with a higher risk of osteoporosis later in life.
- Your period: Irregular or missed periods (amenorrhea) can lead to lower bone density. And the age at which you start your period can also affect bone health. A study of postmenopausal women found that participants whose periods began after age 16 had a higher risk of lower spine fractures caused by osteoporosis.
- Having an eating disorder: Malnutrition caused by anorexia and bulimia can weaken your bones and cause amenorrhea, which can also lead to weakening of the bones.
A diet rich in calcium and vitamin D is important for bone health. For women up to 50 years of age, this means 400-800 IU of vitamin D per day and 1,000 mg of calcium.
Weight-bearing exercises such as jogging and walking are also important for bone density, structure and strength. Stress is any activity that requires your own body weight. Therefore, walking as an exercise and jumping also help strengthen and maintain bone strength. For bone health, we also recommend strength training with weights or using your own body weight at least two days a week.
Read: 6 Ways to Strengthen Your Musculoskeletal System >>
When you are in your early 20s, your bones have reached their maximum strength and density, also known as peak bone mass (PBM). Basically, all of the bone strength and growth you have achieved over the years results in your PBM.
Your bones are still going through the remodeling process, just not as quickly as they did when you were young. But external factors like diet and exercise can help maintain and build bone strength.
Calcium is especially important for people planning pregnancy. The amount of calcium you need does not change during pregnancy. However, if there is not enough calcium for the baby, it will be drained from your bones.
Calcium is also important when breastfeeding because the same thing can happen: your body takes calcium from your bones for breast milk.
The good news is that bone loss during pregnancy and breastfeeding is usually temporary.
Kids or no kids, everyone starts losing a little more bone mass than they gain around age 30.
Hormone levels fluctuate in the period before menopause (perimenopause). As estrogen levels begin to decline, so does the protection of your bone density. This makes your bones more susceptible to fractures and osteoporosis.
Weight-bearing exercises and strength training are crucial to keeping bones as healthy as possible and preventing the risk of fractures and osteoporosis. Of course, diet plays a big role. Your body doesn’t make calcium, so you must get it from food or supplements. And vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium.
Women over 50 should consume 1,200 mg of calcium and 600 IU of vitamin D daily.
What you can do to prevent falls and fractures
In addition to diet and physical activity, there are other things you can do to reduce your risk of injuries and fractures.
- Tidy up your home and remove any items that might trip over you.
- Install support bars and railings in the bathroom and on stairs.
- Make sure there is enough light in your rooms.
Talk to your doctor about your risk of falls and whether you should be checked for osteoporosis. The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation recommends that all women age 65 and older be screened for osteoporosis. Postmenopausal women under 65 years of age with one or more risk factors in addition to postmenopause (low body weight, family history of hip fracture, smoking, alcohol consumption, etc.), as well as anyone who has suffered a fracture after age 50, should also be examined.
If you have been diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis, or have had a fracture, talk to your doctor about what you can do to reduce your risk of future bone problems.
Good bone health for life
Although your early years are crucial in influencing peak bone mass and reducing your risk of osteoporosis, you can maintain and even increase bone strength at any age. It takes work, but it’s never too late to prioritize your bone health.
This educational resource was created with support from Sandoz, a member of the HealthyWomen Corporate Advisory Council.
From your website articles
Related articles on the Internet