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- Osteoporosis—Yes, It’s Preventable
- Did You Know?
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Osteoporosis—Yes, It’s Preventable
If you thought that shrinking and stooped shoulders were an inevitable part of your golden years, there’s good news. As it turns out, those phenomena are due to a bone disease called osteoporosis—and it’s preventable.
Osteoporosis is a thinning and weakening of the bones that strikes many women after menopause, as well as some elderly men. The disease makes your bones fragile and much more likely to break or fracture if you fall down or suffer an injury that otherwise might have been minor. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), approximately 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, and another 34 million are estimated to have low enough bone mass that they are at risk of contracting the disease.
The most accurate test for osteoporosis is dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), which measures bone density in your spine and hip.
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The NOF recommends that the following people get tested:
- All women age 65 and older
- Postmenopausal women under 65 who present one or more risk factors for the disease (other than being white, postmenopausal and female)
- Postmenopausal women under 65 who’ve broken or fractured a bone
The best way to prevent osteoporosis is through diet, exercise and keeping yourself healthy.
Here are some tips:
- Watch your weight. Try to put on some pounds if you’re underweight.
- Diet. You need a diet rich in both calcium and vitamin D, which helps your body absorb calcium and build strong bones.
- Get some sunshine. Sunlight also gives us vitamin D, so try to get at least 10 to 15 minutes of direct early morning or late afternoon sunlight. If you can’t get all of the right nutrients naturally, you can take calcium and vitamin D supplements.
- Exercise. Experts recommend regular “weight-bearing” exercise (in which your feet and legs bear the weight of your body), such as walking, running, stair climbing or dancing.
- Cut down on bad habits. Don’t smoke, reduce caffeine intake, and drink alcohol only in moderation. All these substances have been linked to osteoporosis.
- Have a bone density test and take medications when appropriate.
For more information, see the National Osteoporosis Foundation’s website (www.nof.org).
Did You Know?
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Aerobic exercise makes your heart stronger and more efficient: A fit cardiovascular system delivers about 25 percent more oxygen per minute at rest, and 50 percent more oxygen during physical exertion, than an unfit one.
Healthy Heart: Complete the Go Red Heart CheckUp from the American Heart Association to evaluate your heart health.
Article courtesy of the American Heart Association.
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