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About Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is perhaps the most serious symptom of menopause because it can lead to severe health problems such as chronic back pain and broken bones. Not only does osteoporosis threaten a womanīs physical health, but the disease can come on slowly and go unrecognized until a bone is fractured. |
Up to 70% of the worldīs population doesnīt get enough calcium in their diet. |
About 33% of women over 50 will experience bone fractures as a result of osteoporosis. Itīs no coincidence that 50 years old is the average age women go through menopause. The hormonal fluctuations that precede menopause and the permanently low hormonal levels of post-menopause play a major role in the onset of osteoporosis. There are treatment options available, but first itīs important to be educated about osteoporosis in order to know how to prevent and treat osteoporosis. Continue reading below to learn about osteoporosis and its symptoms and what contributes to bone health.
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What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a disease that weakens bones and increases the risk of sudden and unexpected fractures. Osteoporosis literally means "porous bone". A hallmark of the disease is an increased loss of bone mass and strength. It often progresses without any symptoms or pain. Generally, osteoporosis is not discovered until weakened bones cause painful fractures usually in the back or hips.
An unfortunate aspect of the disease is that once an osteoporotic fracture occurs, there is a much higher risk of additional bone fractures. More unfortunate news: women make up 80% of osteoporosis sufferers. The disease does affect men but at a drastically lower rate than women. This is because men generally have stronger, bulkier bones that donīt lose their mass as easily. Men who do suffer from osteoporosis generally get it later in life than women.
Because women are more susceptible to contracting osteoporosis, they have to take greater care to prevent or treat the diseases in their later years or before. Continue reading below to learn what comprises healthy bones, which will help on the road to treatment. |
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Bone Health
Bone health is vital to the over all health of the body. This is because bones, which make up the skeleton, are the architectural framework on which the rest of the body is built. Good bone health begins early in life. Typically, the teenage years and young adulthood determine how healthy bones will be later in life. This is the time when bones grow most dramatically and require large amounts of calcium for strength and density.
Teenagers build more than 25% of their adult bone mass. By the time their growth spurts are exhausted, about age 17, 90% of adult bone mass has been built.
Calcium and healthy bones
The human body stores 99% of its calcium in bones and teeth. Like every part of the body, the bones are continuously regenerating themselves, losing cells and incorporating new ones. As bones grow, they rely on calcium as structural material to build the proper bone density. Later in life, bones experience cell loss, where the amount of cells lost outnumbers the amount of new cells becoming part of the bones. Calcium is necessary not only during the teenage years and young adulthood when bones grow the most, but also later in life to retain as much bone mass as possible. Below is information about recommended amounts of calcium intake per day and foods that are high in calcium. |
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Calcium Recommendations
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Children 1 to 3 years |
500 mg |
| Children 4 to 8 years |
800 mg |
| Youth 9 to 18 years |
1300 mg |
| Adult 19 to 50 years |
1000 mg |
| Adult 51 + years |
1200 mg |
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Foods high in calcium:
• Most dairy products
• Soy/rice milk
• Chinese cabbage
• Dried figs
• Cooked greens
• Varieties of fish
• Soy nuts |
Symptoms of Osteoporosis
One of the main issues with the onset of osteoporosis is that many people who begin developing it donīt realize they are afflicted until they experience a bone fracture as a result. That is one reason itīs important to take a proactive approach against osteoporosis. Symptoms generally begin to occur late in the disease when there are not many options to regain the necessary bone density. Below are the common symptoms that can indicate osteoporosis:
With a solid understanding about what osteoporosis is and itīs symptoms, itīs time to beginning learning about osteoporosis risk factors osteoporosis risk factors.
What are the best ways to cope with osteoporosis?
Three approaches can be considered for treating osteoporosis: (1) lifestyle changes, (2) alternative remedies, and (3) drugs and surgery. Most experts recommend that women begin with the least aggressive approach and move to the next level of treatment only if symptoms persist. Click on treatments for osteoporosis to discover the best route to relief.
Return to home page and learn more about the 34 Menopause Symptoms.
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