Osteoporosis means “porous bone“, it is a disease of the bones. It happens when you loose too much bone, make little or both. As a result, your bones become weak and break into minor falls or in serious cases. About 54 million Americans have osteoporosis and low bone mass, placing them at higher risk. Adults aged 50 and older are at higher risk in breaking their bones due to osteoporosis.
How to Maintain Healthier Bones:
- Quit smoking
- Limit alcohol intake
- Get plenty of calcium
- Limit food with high acidic content
These encourage loss of calcium. Our bodies always maintain calcium, and when there’s not enough coming in from our diet, it comes out from our bones.
You Lose More Bone than What You Form
After you reach peak bone mass, the balance between bone formation and bone loss might start to change. You may start to slowly lose more bone than you form. In midlife, bone loss usually speeds up in both men and women. For most women, bone loss increases after menopause, when estrogen levels drop sharply. In fact, in the five to seven years after menopause, women can lose up to 20 percent or more of their bone density. Osteoporosis happens when you lose too much bone, make too little bone, or both.