Who are more at risk?

⦁ people who have been taking steroid medication for more than 3 months

⦁ women who have had their ovaries removed

⦁ people with a family history of osteoporosis

⦁ people with an eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia 

⦁ people who don’t exercise regularly

⦁ people who smoke or drink heavily

How can I prevent osteoporosis?

One of the best ways to prevent weak bones is to work on building strong ones. Building strong bones during childhood and the teen years is important to help prevent osteoporosis later.

As you get older, your bones don’t make new bone fast enough to keep up with the bone loss. And after menopause, bone loss happens even more quickly. But you can take steps to slow the natural bone loss with aging and to prevent your bones from becoming weak and brittle.

⦁ Get enough calcium and vitamin D each day.

⦁ Get active. Choose weight-bearing physical activities like running or dancing to build and strengthen your bones.

⦁ Don’t smoke. Smoking raises your risk of broken bones.

If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation (for women, this is one drink a day at most). Too much alcohol can harm your bones. Also, too much at one time or mixed with certain medicines can affect your balance and lead to falls.

Talk to your doctor about whether you need medicine to prevent bone loss.

I will be talking about other such issues in the upcoming blog. Stay connected.