To Your Health
December, 2007 (Vol. 01, Issue 12) |
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Lifestyle factors also play a critical role in the health of your bones. Exercising, avoiding tobacco products and limiting the amount of alcohol you consume can help you maintain healthy bones. Your bones, like your muscles, will strengthen with exercise. Bones need specific types of exercise - weight-bearing exercise and resistance (or strength) training - to maintain and build density. Weight-bearing exercises are exercises that require your bones to support your body's weight. For example, when you jog or walk, your legs are bearing the weight of your body. Resistance or strength training involves using weight or resistance to build strength. Research has shown that strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk for fractures, particularly for postmenopausal women, who have a high risk for bone disease.
Smoking and alcohol may be linked to increased loss of bone. Researchers have linked smoking to an increase in fractures and hypothesize that for some women, smoking may interact with estrogen in a way that could reduce intestinal calcium absorption. While moderate alcohol consumption has not been linked to osteoporosis, studies have shown that consuming more than two alcoholic drinks a day may decrease bone formation and reduce your body's ability to absorb calcium.
The way you eat and the amount and type of exercise you get during your lifetime can greatly impact the health of your bones. Not getting enough calcium or other essential nutrients, smoking, and not getting enough exercise can lead to a weakening of your bones and put you at risk for bone diseases. The good news is that you can prevent bone disease with a healthy diet and lifestyle.
To learn more about bone health and bone disease prevention, talk to your doctor and visit the Web sites for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
Risk Factors for Bone Disease
- Age. Your risk of bone disease increases as you age.
- Race. Women who are Caucasian or Asian are more likely to develop bone disease.
- Bone structure and body weight. Small-boned and thin women are at greater risk.
- Lifestyle. Smoking, excessive alcohol intake and little or no weight-bearing exercise increase the risk, as does a diet with inadequate calcium.
- Family and personal history of fractures as an adult.
- Medications/chronic diseases. Certain medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, endocrine disorders, seizure disorders and gastrointestinal diseases may have side effects that can damage bone.
- Menopause. Postmenopausal women have an increased risk of developing bone disease.
- Gender. Females are at greater risk of developing bone disease.
Adapted from the National Osteoporosis Foundation (2007).
Kelly Kwiatkowski has worked as a communications professional and project manager in the academic and corporate health care research sectors for the past seven years. She currently is a scientific writer for a whole-foods supplement company in Palmyra, Wis.
