Bone Health for Long-Term Strength: Tips for Stronger Bones and Lifelong Mobility
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Have you ever noticed how certain elderly people stoop while walking whereas others of similar age walk ever so gracefully with a straight back?
Which one would you prefer to be, as you age?
Bones usually amass less attention unless they are broken. Compared to other organs in our body, bones are rarely tested routinely and bone health is overlooked by the general population.
Worldwide, it is estimated that 1 in 3 women above the age of 50 will experience osteoporotic fractures, as well as 1 in 5 men.
Hence it is pertinent that bone health is discussed and the awareness surrounding it raised.
Key Pointers:
Bone health is crucial for short-term and long-term mobility.
Understanding what factors help with increasing your bone health could give you an advantage in taking care of your mobility as you age.
Vegetables have surprising benefits in strengthening your bones, especially onions.
Bone health and long-term active mobility go hand in hand. Bones are our support system for movements and vigor, along with muscles. Muscles (with tendons) attach to our bones and together this system helps us in being mobile. So taking care of your bones means better mobility, even as you age.
Before we talk about taking care of bone health, it would make much sense to discuss what exactly is bone health and why it matters.
Why Bone Health Matters?
Bones do far more than just provide structure for your body. They protect organs, anchor muscles, store minerals like calcium, and produce blood cells. However, their most underrated role is enabling mobility. Without healthy bones, overall mobility and structural support are compromised. Here’s a bit on the major functions carried out by bones:
Supporting your body and helping you move. Your bones literally hold up your body and keep it from collapsing to the ground. Your posture depends on your bones. You also need to be able to coordinate your bones and shift your weight around them in order to move.
Protecting your internal organs. Your bones keep your organs safe from hard impacts, punctures, and other forms of injury. For example, your ribs protect your heart and lungs, and your skull protects your brain.
Producing your blood cells. Certain types of bones make your platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells. These cells are made inside of your bones. Platelets help your blood clot, red blood cells deliver oxygen to your organs, and white blood cells help fight off infections.
Storing and releasing fat. Certain types of bones store fat and then release it when your body needs energy.
Storing and releasing minerals. Bones can also store necessary minerals when their levels are too high in your blood. Then, your bones will release the minerals when your body needs them. Examples of these minerals include calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D.
These and other factors sum up why bone health matters. As such, understanding what determines bone health and how you could help your bones thrive becomes the next most important question.
What Affects Bone Health?
It is very easy to understand the factors that play into a great healthy bone. Most of these factors are modifiable and few of them remain part of life or genetics. Here are the factors affecting bone health summed up:
Size and Age: People who have a body mass index of 19 or less or who have a small body frame are at higher risk of osteoporosis. That's because they typically have less bone mass to draw from as they age. Bones also become thinner and weaker as people get older.
Hormonal Changes: Bone density/strength declines with age. This is more so evident in females, especially after menopause. After menopause, the sudden decrease in estrogen levels in females causes the bones to reduce their density, making older females more prone to fractures and bone injuries. Too much thyroid hormone can cause bone loss too. Before menopause, people who don't have their periods for a long time — a condition called amenorrhea — have a higher risk of osteoporosis. Low testosterone levels can cause a loss of bone mass.
Nutrition and Diet: The amount of calcium in your diet. A diet low in calcium may lead to low bone density, early bone loss, and easily broken bones.
Physical Activity: Exercise makes bones stronger. People who aren't physically active have a higher risk of osteoporosis than people who exercise regularly. When it comes to younger individuals, proper diet and physical activity are very crucial for developing healthy bones. This is because 90% of peak bone mass occurs by age of 18. Physical inactivity during this period of skeletal growth has been linked with deleterious effects on bone health.
Tobacco and Alcohol Use: Using tobacco, especially smoking and vaping, can weaken bones and raise the risk of osteoporosis. Regularly having more than one alcoholic drink a day for women or two alcoholic drinks a day for men also may raise the risk of osteoporosis.
Race and Family History: People of white or Asian descent are at a higher risk of osteoporosis than other people. People who have a parent with osteoporosis are at higher risk too. A family history of broken bones also raises the risk.
Understanding these factors helps us recognize what changes can be made to improve bone health and what areas of life can be adjusted to have great mobility.
What can I do to keep my bones healthy?
The following steps may help prevent or slow bone loss:
Diet
Good sources of calcium include dairy products, turnip greens, salmon and canned salmon with bones, sardines, tuna, and soy products, such as tofu. If it's hard to get enough calcium from your diet, ask your healthcare professional about taking a calcium supplement.
Vegetables and protein should be prioritized in your diet if you’d like to have long-lasting mobility. This is easily explained by taking into consideration the make-up of our bones, almost 50% of our bone volume is made of protein, and consuming vegetables replenishes Vitamin C in our body. Vitamin C helps stimulate bone-forming cells and protects bone cells from damage due to its anti-oxidant properties.
Zinc and magnesium have been linked to positive impacts on bone health. So it’s important that foods rich in zinc like shrimp, spinach, flaxseed, oysters, etc. are included to achieve healthy bone mass.
Get enough vitamin D
Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium.
Good sources of vitamin D include oily fish, such as salmon, trout, tuna, and mackerel. Some foods also have vitamin D added to them, such as milk, cereals, and orange juice. Sunlight helps the body make vitamin D too. If you're worried about getting enough vitamin D, ask your healthcare professional about taking a supplement.
Vitamin K helps in bone health by modifying osteocalcin, a protein involved in bone formation. This modification helps the bone to bind with minerals and helps in preventing loss of calcium from bones. Foods rich in Vitamin K are liver, egg, meat, and soya bean.
Stay active. Weight-bearing exercises can help you build strong bones and slow bone loss.
Don't use tobacco or drink too much. If you'd like help to stop using tobacco, talk to your healthcare professional. If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. For healthy adults, that means up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men.
Ask about medicines
If you have to take any medicine for a long time, ask your healthcare professional if that might affect your bones. If so, talk about steps you can take to keep your bones healthy.
Conclusion
If you had read along, you would have understood that better mobility and great bone health almost mean the same thing. Bone health in many ways, can be thought of as a long-term investment. Great bone health is better reflected during the senescent phase of your life, where your previous efforts on improving bone health would be greatly visible. This would mean that taking care of your diet, exercise, and ultimately bone health would then go on to help you live your 60s or 80s with a straight back and long confident strides.
FAQs
As a post-menopausal woman, what steps can I take to protect my bones?
Focus on a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, engage in weight-bearing exercises, and talk to your doctor about bone density screening and any hormone-related therapies that might help maintain bone strength.
My family has a history of osteoporosis. When should I start getting screened for bone density?
If you have a family history of osteoporosis, your doctor might recommend starting bone density tests earlier than usual. Kindly visit your nearest orthopedic doctor to take care of your bone health.
How does my diet influence bone health, and which foods should I prioritize?
A diet rich in calcium, vitamin D, protein, and other minerals like magnesium and zinc can improve bone health. Dairy products, leafy greens, fatty fish, tofu, and fortified foods are excellent choices. Additionally, you could ask your doctor about supplements.
What types of exercise are most beneficial for maintaining strong bones?
Weight-bearing activities or even resistance training are particularly effective at stimulating bone growth and slowing bone loss. Remember consistency is key.
Could my current medications be affecting my bone health, and how should I address this concern?
Some medications can impact bone density over time. If you’re taking long-term medications, discuss with your doctor whether they might be affecting your bone health and if any adjustments or protective measures are needed.
