Osteoporosis Canada has some handy tips on how to look after your bone health. While anyone can get osteoporosis, it is more common in older white women and women of Asian descent. However, at least one in five men will also suffer from it.
Bone is living tissue that is constantly being broken down and replaced. Osteoporosis occurs when the creation of new bone doesn’t keep up with the loss of old bone and bones get more fragile and brittle.
So, What Can You Do about It?
Osteoporosis Canada recommends the following:
- Eat a balanced diet.
- Take Vitamin D which is essential to maintaining bone strength as it helps the body absorb calcium. Health Canada recommends that all adults over 50 take a Vitamin D supplement year-round.
- Foods high in vitamin D include fish, especially swordfish, canned tuna in water, canned salmon with bones, trout and snapper, milk and egg yolks. And remember Vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin for a reason so a limited sun exposure year-round also helps the body absorb Vitamin D.
- Take calcium supplements if needed and eat food high in calcium such as dairy products or calcium fortified soy/almond/rice beverages.
- Other foods with calcium include oranges, whole almonds, cooked collard greens and other dark leafy vegetables (kale, beet greens, spinach).
- Health Canada recommends a daily calcium intake of 1,000 mg for men 50 – 70 and 1,200 mg for women 50+ and men age 70+. And a daily vitamin D intake of 600 IU for ages 50 – 70 and 800 IU for ages 70+/
- Limit alcohol.
- Don’t smoke.
- And finally you can consume the dreaded cod liver oil which isn’t great tasting but is really high in Vitamin D.
- Exercise according to your level of fitness and your age. The keys are building strength and stability to help balance and increase muscle strength. Osteoporosis Canada recommends up to 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week.
If a good diet and exercise are insufficient, your doctor may recommend medication as well. Today, common ones are Fosamax and Actonel which are taken weekly or monthly, depending on the medication. To learn more about osteoporosis and how to prevent and manage it, check out Osteoporosis Canada, which is one of Federated Health’s 21 participating charities.
