Make No Bones About it

Beware lest the bone thief leaves you crippled

Osteoporosis–a disease in which bones become fragile and break-prone–can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. So if you don’t want that to happen, read on to find out who is at risk from the disease and

 some ways of preventing it.

Bone risk factors

Conduct the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA). “Subtracting weight [in kilograms] from age [in years] and obtaining a value of above 20 would put an individual at a 60% chance of having an abnormal bone density mass,” says Dr Leong Keng Hong, consultant physician and rheumatologist at Gleneagles Medical Centre. As such, it is unlikely young people would have osteoporosis unless they are prone to other risk factors.

Dr Leong mentions that once you have a fragility fracture not caused by trauma or accident, there is a 20% chance of it recurring in the same year. This is usually present in the hips and ribs, but for the spine, the collapse is gradual and the only symptom, if any, is back pain. He also cautions against referring to osteoporosis as solely a woman’s disease–there has been active research into male osteoporosis and like women, ageing in males will make them prone to fractures.

Those who are born thin, with a small frame or have family members prone to breaks carry a greater risk of bone fractures and will require extra care in prevention. Bone mass accumulates till it reaches its peak when a person hits 30, after which, there is net decrease in bone formation which is accelerated after events such as menopause, when women lose bone-protecting oestrogen. Women who menopause early, before age 45, or have their ovaries surgically removed can experience a sudden drop in oestrogen levels that could lead to early osteoporosis.

Eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, and over-exercising also carry greater risks of osteoporosis. Inadequate nutrition can cause the body to shut down non-essential functions such as menstruation, causing a drop in oestrogen levels. If dietary intake of calcium is low, your body steals it from your bones and delivers it to where it’s required, and over time, withdrawals can lead to serious bone deficit.

Boning up for the better

Leading a sedentary lifestyle can cause more harm than good. Here are a few things to bear in mind:

•    Exercise – Target and stimulate bone-forming cells with weight-bearing exercises such as jogging, hiking and stair climbing.

•    Health - Treat conditions that can deplete bone such as include kidney problems, liver disease, thyroid disorders, etc., as they interfere with proper nutrient absorption.

•    Steroids – Long-term use of medical steroids can lead to osteoporosis by disrupting calcium absorption from the gut.

•    Vitamin D – 20 minutes of daily sun exposure provides the daily requirement of 400 international units (IU) of essential Vitamin D.

•    Habits – Avoid excessive smoking and drinking as nicotine is known to be toxic to the bone and accelerates bone cell loss while excessive drinking has been linked to bone cell depletion among alcoholics.

•            Calcium – The Big ‘C’ plays an essential role in building and maintaining bone health. Adults need 700mg of calcium intake a day, teenagers and pregnant women 1200mg and the elderly 1500mg. Try to spread calcium consumption throughout the day for better absorption.