Your risk for osteoporosis

OSTEOPOROSIS is essentially a process where bones become weaker, and in severe cases, very brittle. Osteoporosis is seen less often in men than in women as men generally have greater bone mass than women, and in males, bone loss begins later and advances more slowly.

Dr Ryan Halsall, obstetrician-gynaecologist, said having weak bones means that even minor injuries such as slipping while walking can result in the bone breaking.

“Forearm and hip fractures are very common in patients with osteoporosis,” he explained.

Dr Halsall said while it’s common to hear about this phenomenon in older women, a number of young people suffer from this condition, many of them unaware that they have it until they end up in the emergency room.

He said the weak bones that people end up with in old age start getting weaker from as early as in the 30s.

“Normally the body keeps the bone strength by constantly replacing existing bone and replacing it with fresh deposits. Your bones reach their maximal lifetime strength somewhere in your 20s and 30s,” he said.

But although this condition is mostly seen as a result of ageing, Dr Halsall said a number of things can lead to reduction in bone strength and there are some individuals who suffer from this condition with no known cause.

Below he shares some of the common causes of osteoporosis:

Hormonal disturbances

Dr Halsall said anything that disrupts the delicate oestrogen balance of the body can have an impact on bone strength — “From being overweight, underweight, excessive exercise, chemotherapy medications or premature ovarian failure,” he said.

Drugs

“Some of the commonly prescribed medications that can lead to osteoporosis include antidepressants, seizure medication and DepoProvera. Luckily the effects of these medications are reversible,” Dr Halsall said.

Other causes include cigarette smoking, thyroid disease, kidney disease, genetic conditions such as osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease) and pregnancy.

Prevention of osteoporosis involves a proper diet and exercise lifestyle.

“Even though excessive exercise is linked to decreasing bone density, a proper exercise routine, especially one with weight training, can promote strong bone formation,” he said.

He added that diet is equally as important, and everyone should ensure their diets contain adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D.

“There’s no starting age for supplementation. Every man and woman under age 50 should ensure they are getting at least 1000mgs of calcium and 600IU of Vitamin D daily, either from their diet or with the use of supplements,” he said.

Dr Halsall said good natural sources of these include dairy products, dark green leafy vegetables, fortified cereal and salmon.