Cyprus Mail
HealthLife & Style

Why we all need to look after our bones

health
A woman exercising. See PA Feature HEALTH Osteoporosis. Alamy/PA.

By Lisa Salmon

You wouldn’t think coughing or sneezing could break a bone. But if you’re living with the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, it could. Osteoporosis mostly affects women over 50 – due to oestrogen levels dropping rapidly after menopause – but bone health is still an important consideration for everyone, at every age.

“Osteoporosis causes 500,000 broken bones every year in the UK, and has a devastating personal and financial impact on people’s lives,” explains Lauren Wiggins, director of clinical services at the Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS; theros.org.uk). “It’s often referred to as a ‘silent disease’ because of under-diagnoses, under-treatment and low public awareness.”

But the actions we take throughout our lives can have a direct impact on our bone health as we get older.

 

You may not know you’ve got osteoporosis until it’s too late

Osteoporosis doesn’t have any symptoms, and an easily broken bone after a minor bump or fall is often the first sign bones have lost strength. “It’s a common misunderstanding that osteoporosis causes aches and pains,” says Wiggins. “The condition itself doesn’t cause pain, but the resulting impact of breaking a bone can be painful.”

 

It can affect your height

While many osteoporosis fractures happen after a fall, spinal fractures can occur without an obvious accident or injury and may be painless. The ROS explains that fractured bones in the back can squash down and become flattened or wedge-shaped – and will stay in this shape after they’ve healed, changing the shape of the spine.

Wiggins explains: “Some people experience severe pain when there’s a spinal fracture, but for others it might be painless, or persistent pain might only start as the shape of the spine changes. If you experience a number of spinal fractures, this can lead to height loss because of curvature of the spine.”

 

Weight can make a difference

The ROS warns the risk of osteoporosis and broken bones increases if you’re underweight or overweight, so it’s generally a good idea to aim to keep your body weight within a healthy range.

 

Exercise helps reduce the risk

Bones stay strong if you give them work to do, says the ROS, explaining that a combination of weight-bearing exercise with impact, and muscle-strengthening exercises are the best ways to keep bones strong. The former involves being on your feet and adding an additional force or jolt through your skeleton – anything from walking to star jumps.

“Variety is good for bones, which you can achieve with different movements, directions and speeds – like when you’re dancing,” says Wiggins. “Short bursts of activity can be best, such as running followed by a jog, or jogging followed by a walk.”

 

Take vitamin D

The ROS warns that low levels of vitamin D can increase the risk of osteoporosis and broken bones, as vitamin D helps the body absorb and use calcium – essential for bones. The vitamin is created in the body if skin is exposed to enough sunlight. But as generally our bodies don’t do this it’s recommended people take a daily supplement of 10micrograms of vitamin D.

 

Support bone health through diet

There are many other nutrients that are also vital in helping bones stay healthy and strong. The ROS recommends people eat a healthy, balanced diet including foods from the four main food groups of fruit and vegetables, carbohydrates like bread, potatoes, pasta and cereals, dairy and dairy alternatives, and proteins like beans, eggs, fish and meat. “Eating and drinking the right things can help support your bone health at every stage of your life,” Wiggins points out.

 

Stop or reduce smoking and alcohol intake

Drinking a lot of alcohol increases your risk of osteoporosis, warns the ROS, and government advice is to drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week. Smoking slows down the cells that build bone, which means smoking could reduce bone strength and increase the risk of breaking a bone. “Rest assured though, it’s not too late,” stresses Wiggins. “If you give up smoking, your risk of breaking a bone begins to return to normal.”

 

Follow the Cyprus Mail on Google News

Related Posts

A canvas of healing

Eleni Philippou

Restaurant review: Oh My Cod, Larnaca

Andreas Nichola

A three-act tale of storytelling

Theo Panayides

Unveiling Cyprus’s wine industry: Challenges and solutions

CM Guest Columnist

Cyprus talent goes to Austria

Sara Douedari

First circumnavigation of Cyprus for 50 years

Alix Norman