Importance of Maintaining Bone Health as You Age

07/23/2024

Low bone density makes your bones delicate and increases your risk of fractures. The following nutrition and lifestyle changes can assist  you in building strong bones as you age:

Bolster your Bone Health with Vitamin D and Calcium Supplements.

In order to keep your bone health strong and healthy as you age, you should definitely include calcium and vitamin D supplements. Including these supplements ensures the good health of bones and reduces the risk of bone injuries. The body can’t produce the calcium itself, which raises the importance of taking minerals from your diet. In addition, to absorb the calcium you eat, you need vitamin D. 

Whenever you head out in the sun, your skin makes vitamin D on its own. However, ample people don’t go and get sunlight, resulting in Vitamin D deficiency. AAOS (The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) urges people to consume enough vitamin D and calcium to keep their bones healthy and strong. Men and women aged between 20 and 70 should consume 1000 mg of calcium and 1000 mg of Vitamin D. Once you reach the age of 70, you should increase your calcium intake to 1200 and decrease your vitamin D intake to 800 mg.

Make Exercise your Friend.

As you age, you start feeling weak and prone to diseases, but by making exercise your friend, you can improve your overall well-being. You should make exercise a non-negligible part of your routine. Whenever you opt for exercises like lifting weights, jogging, or walking, it puts strain and pressure on your bones, which bolsters your bones and prevents injuries like fractures.

In order to improve and bolster your bone health, you should do the following exercises:

• Brisk walking, jogging, or running

• Dancing

• Balance exercises like tai chi or lunges

• Playing racket sports like tennis or pickleball

• Lifting weights 

Note: Please get in touch with your healthcare provider before starting any exercise for bone density if you are suffering from any disease or running under any treatment.

Cut back on Unhealthy Lifestyle Choices.

Some unhealthy lifestyle choices can distress your bones and overall health. Heavy alcohol consumption and smoking can fasten bone loss and slow down bone formation. Just by reducing alcohol consumption and quitting smoking, you can slow down the procedure of bone loss. Also, you should start eating bone-healthy food to improve your bone health.

Increase your Protein Intake.

Your body needs enough protein to support healthy bones, and approximately 50% of bone is made of protein. Taking low protein will affect calcium absorption and bone formation. Therefore, you should consume enough protein daily in order to prevent bone diseases as you age. The protein deficiency will affect calcium absorption, which may result in weak and brittle bones.

Some studies revealed that a high-protein diet can leach calcium from bones to tackle increased acidity in the blood. This doesn’t happen in people who consume around 100 gm of protein daily, provided that their calcium intake is adequate and their protein consumption is balanced with a variety of plant-based meals.

Research indicates that older women who consume more protein daily have better bone density than women who don’t.

Never stick to Low-calorie Diets:

Decreasing your calorie intake to a very low level is not considered a good idea, as it may result in serious problems. Doing so can be detrimental to bone health, slow down metabolism, dip muscle mass, and activate rebound hunger.

Consuming a diet that provides less than 1000 calories per day can result in lower density in normal weight, overweight, and obese people.

A study revealed that women who consumed around 925 calories per day for four months in a row experienced serious bone density loss in body parts like the hip and upper thigh region, regardless of whether they did resistance training or not. 

You should consume a diet that at least provide 1200 calories per day to keep your bones healthy and strong. Your diet must have protein and food enriched with mineral and vitamins that are good for your bone health.

Aim for an Optimal Weight

For optimal bone density, a healthy weight is required. If you are underweight, you are more likely to come across bone diseases. On the other hand, being overweight or obese puts a strain on the bones and results in bone-related problems. Therefore, one should aim for the optimal weight.

Health authorities recommend that people should avoid sudden weight loss and cycling between weight gain and loss. When you try to lose weight, you also lose bone density. Regaining the weight will not restore bone density. This density reduction later on leads to weak or brittle bones.

In addition to the above, you should always aim for a normal weight to keep your bone health healthy and disease-free.

Consequences of Poor Bone Health with Growing Age

When you start losing bone mass too much, you are at risk of developing conditions named osteopenia or osteoporosis. Osteopenia stands for low bone mineral density, also known as BMD, which means calcium and minerals are deficient in your bones. Therefore, your bones are not strong and are prone to bone diseases.

If this bone ailment is left untreated, it can trigger another condition known as osteoporosis. This disease occurs due to very low BMD and loss of bone mass. When you are going through these conditions, you are prone to fracturing or breaking your bone, which, as a result, can lead to pain, loss of mobility, and even disability.

These conditions (osteopenia and osteoporosis) are also referred to as silent conditions as they don’t cause any evident symptoms. You will not know you have these until you either break your bone or get the bone density screening done. Hence, maintaining bone health is the key to a healthy and active lifestyle as you age.

Conclusion:

Losing bone density is a natural component of aging. However, making modifications in your lifestyle and diet can aid you in making strong bones and maintaining them as you age. In addition to this, you should avoid indulging in heavy alcohol consumption and smoking, which can speed up your bone density loss.

FAQs: 

1. Why is bone health important for older adults?

As you age, your bones require more attention and care in order to operate properly and support you. Low bone density can lead to diseases like osteoporosis, which increases the risk of fractures. 

2. What problem does this bone loss cause in old age?

Due to bone loss, people may develop osteoporosis in old age. In this condition, bones become so weak and brittle that mild bending can lead to a break. Most breaks due to osteoporosis occur in the hip, wrist, and spine.

3. Can you build bone density after 65?

There are plenty of ways by which one can build bone density even after the age of 54.  Stick to the below-listed ways to make your bones strong and increase bone density:

• Increase the calcium via food or supplement

• Get enough exercise

• Take up your protein consumption

• Cut back on unhealthy lifestyle choices

• Maintain an optimal weight

4. What is the fastest way to increase bone density?

As you age, you may come across bone loss as a natural part of aging. Low bone density makes your bones fragile and susceptible to fractures. You can increase the bone density by adhering to the following ways:

• Strength training

• Increase vegetable consumption

• Take up your calcium intake

• Cut off extra weight

• Include foods packed with omega-3 fatty acids in your diet

• Dodge a low-calorie diet