Bony information

What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis means "porous bones" and occurs when bones lose calcium, become weak and break easily.

It is often called the "silent disease" because bones can become weak without any pain or symptoms. The problem does not become evident until the disease is well advanced....when you start to get broken bones.

If your bones are strong and healthy, breaking them can take quite an effort...........When they become weak, as in osteoporosis, even sneezing or bending to tie a shoelace can cause bones to break.

For many people this means they cannot look after themselves any more, move freely or be without pain.

Some bones break more frequently than others. The bones of the spine may become crushed leading to pain, deformity (a bent spine), difficulty breathing and difficulty seeing much other than the floor (incidentally, loss of height due to osteoporosis is much more common in men than women).

Other bones, such as the hip and wrist tend to get broken if you slip or fall.

Doesn't sound like much fun does it??

Well, now is the time to try and prevent it.

What happens to bones?

Bone is made up of minerals (mainly calcium), collagen (a protein providing a soft 'scaffolding' for the minerals) and water. Minerals are 60-70% of bone weight providing strength and stiffness. The final product is a lot like reinforced concrete. In fact, the ability of healthy bone to resist compression (squeezing) forces is GREATER than the best reinforced concrete!

Throughout life old bone is being replaced by new bone, a process called turnover. Old bone is removed (reabsorbed) by cells called osteoclasts and new bone is added (formation) by cells called osteoblasts. The balance of these processes varies at different stages of your life.

As you are growing there is more formation than reabsorption, hence bones become bigger and stronger.

This continues into your 20's by which stage your bones have reached their maximum size and strength. This is called peak bone mass.

Once you have stopped growing there should be a balance between bone formation and bone reabsorption so that bone mass and strength stays approximately the same.

As you get older (40+), the balance may change and bone loss (reabsorption) become greater than bone formation. If reabsorption is too quick, or replacement too slow, bones start to become weaker and thinner and much more likely to break.

The stronger your bones are before this process starts, the better your chances of surviving a fit old age.

MAXIMISE YOUR POTENTIAL!!

Risk factors

A "risk factor" is something that increases your chances of suffering from osteoporosis.

Some factors you can avoid:

• smoking
• drinking too much alcohol
• lack of exercise
• a diet low in calcium... Are all factors which you can take positive action against.

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions you need to work hard to reach you best potential peak bone mass now, as all these factors increase you chances of suffering from osteoporosis in later life.

Also bear in mind:

• eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia are a significant risk
• absence of normal menstrual periods presents a risk and should be investigated
• certain diseases and medication (such as corticosteroids and anti-convulsants) can effect the calcium in bones
• Check with your GP if you have any worries or questions.

Exercise

Bone responds to exercise by becoming stronger..... and you need the strongest bones you can get.

While you are still growing is PRIME TIME to beef up your bones a bit...............even the oldies (for whom all hope is not lost) can slow down bone loss with regular exercise (Go, make your parents feel guilty enough to join in).

What type of exercise?

The best exercise for building bones is weight bearing exercise that causes muscles to work against gravity (do you know how much trouble astronauts have keeping their bones strong?). The list of possibilities is huge.....jogging, hiking, dancing, jumping rope, soccer, netball, skating, weights, tennis, volleyball (we could go on forever). Anything that is over and above your normal effort will help you build stronger bones.

Try making yourself popular with family and friends......offer to mow the lawn, clean the house, walk the dog.....you might even make a profit out of this bone building stuff.

Try and take the exercise alternatives to help you reach maximum bone building potential.......Walk instead of taking the car; if you have a long bus ride, get off a few stops early; don't use the elevator, take the stairs!

Get a few friends together, find an activity you like and do it!!

If you want to get into some serious bone building try the BONE BUILDING CIRCUIT.

Just Remember....

we don't want to see you in the "injury of the week".

• Listen to your body and when you begin a new activity build up gradually. Give your bones time to adapt.
• Swimming and cycling are good for cardiovascular fitness, if not so good for your bones. Intersperse these with other activities.
• ENJOY!!

Diet

Eating enough calcium rich foods is essential to build strong bones and teeth.

A large percentage of teenagers (up to 30%) consume less calcium than they need to maximise their peak bone mass.

About 300mg. of calcium is called a 'serve' and you need 3-4 serves a day to ensure your body is getting enough calcium.

Milk and dairy products are the best source of calcium. Lactose, the natural sugar present in milk, aids the absorption of calcium.

REMEMBER! Low fat dairy foods contain as much if not more calcium than regular fat dairy products. As part of a healthy diet select the low fat options.

More tips for a bone building diet

If you are unable to eat dairy products seek some expert advice from a dietitian or doctor (this also applies if you are thinking about taking calcium supplements....seek advice first).

Calcium enriched soy drinks are a good option. Check out the facts and figures on the packs to make sure there is at least 100mg. of calcium per 100ml.

Smart moves for strong bones

• Include 3-4 serves of dairy food a day (e.g. A glass of low fat milk; a 35g chunk of cheese and a pot of low fat yogurt).
• Include milk on cereal, in smoothies, milk shakes and deserts such as custard.
• Try cheese, biscuits, yogurt and milk drinks as great bone building snacks.
• Try low fat natural yogurt on jacket potatoes.
• Melt low fat cheese on toast or include it in a sandwich.
• Try a salmon sandwich (bones to) for a good bone builders lunch.

[?Any more bright ideas? Let us know...admin@smasa.asn.au]