Osteoporosis - Prevention

To a significant extent, osteoporosis is a preventable disease. People can take a number of steps beginning early in life to build strong bones. By continuing those practices as they grow older, they can reduce the rate of bone loss. Some of these steps include:

• Get calcium in foods. Foods rich in calcium include milk, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products; green leafy vegetables; tofu; shellfish; Brazil nuts; sardines; and almonds.
• Take calcium supplements. A person can be certain of getting enough calcium by taking supplements in the form of pills.
• Get enough vitamin D. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. The easiest way to get vitamin D is from sunshine. A fifteen-minute walk each day usually provides all the vitamin D one needs. Foods rich in vitamin D include liver, fish oil, and milk fortified with vitamin D.
• Avoid or limit smoking and the use of alcohol. Both smoking and alcohol use seem to increase the rate of bone loss. By limiting both activities, the risk of osteoporosis may be reduced.
• Exercise. Regular exercise builds strong bones. The forms of exercise likely to be most effective include aerobics, dancing, jogging, stair climbing, tennis, walking, and lifting weights. Experts recommend twenty to thirty minutes of exercise three to four times a week.