Healthy bones

by Simone McClenaughan | 23 Nov 2012

Staying active is key to bone health. Avoid osteoporosis with these simple steps.

Every five minutes, an Australian is hospitalised with an osteoporosis-related fracture. Half of Australian women and a third of Australian men will experience an osteoporotic fracture after the age of 60, according to Osteoporosis Australia.

It is crucial to make sure your bone health is top notch. Poor bone health can result in limited mobility, osteoporosis and debilitating fractures.

There are some things that you can’t change about your bone health, such as natural bone loss, a family history of osteoporosis, and menopause in women, explains Belinda Beck, an exercise physiologist who specialises in bone health and osteoporosis. However, there are many things you can do to improve your bone health, such as staying active and eating a diet rich in calcium.

Battle of the sexes

When menopause hits women, the rate of bone mass decline accelerates, explains Dr Sonia Davison, an endocrinologist with the Jean Hailes Foundation for Women's Health. “Postmenopausal women are at higher risk of developing low bone mineral density including osteoporosis.”

Men aren't immune though, as Professor Peter Ebeling, Medical Director at Osteoporosis Australia, points out. “Bone health needs to be considered as part of a routine health check in older men,” he says.

Bone health check-ups could include a bone density test, scans, x-rays, blood tests to rate vitamin D levels, diet assessment to work out calcium intake and a review of any weight-bearing exercise routines.

Exercise is key

“It is imperative to stay active,” Beck implores. “Exercise helps maintain bone mass and improves muscle mass and strength, which helps prevent falls, which in turn helps reduce the incidence of bone fractures.”

People with good bone health should do five moderate-to-high-intensity 30-minute workouts each week. Beck suggests running, aerobics and sports such as netball and tennis, as well as resistance exercises using weights that can only be lifted 3-4 times before tiring.

If you have osteoporosis you still should exercise but you need to be careful. “You should only perform low-impact weight-bearing exercises to help maintain or improve muscle strength,” says Beck, who recommends four or five workouts a week, each lasting for 40-50 minutes.

Ideal exercises to help with balance and muscle strength include tai chi, walking, low-impact aqua aerobics, light resistance exercises and line dancing.

Many gyms also offer fitness programs tailored to the needs of over-55s.

Eat up

Ninety-nine per cent of the body’s calcium is found in the bones. Yet the body can’t make calcium, it must be obtained through the diet.

“You need to consume enough calcium to top up the mineral content in your bones. Calcium is leeched out of your bones through the body’s natural processes,” warns accredited practising dietitian Margaret Hays.

She calls this your ‘bone bank’. “You need to offset the withdrawals your body is making from the bone bank by making enough deposits through eating calcium-rich foods.”

According to Osteoporosis Australia, less than half of all Australian adults get their daily-recommended intake of calcium. Hays recommends low-fat dairy products. Anyone older than 50 requires 1200mg of calcium each day, which is equivalent to 200g of low-fat yoghurt, 250ml of skim milk and 40g of cheese.

Tinned salmon and sardines with small, edible bones are on par with the calcium levels in dairy products. For example, a 100g serving of sardines contains slightly more calcium than a 250ml glass of milk.

Coffee, salt, alcohol and soft drink, on the other hand, are bad for bones. “They increase the release of calcium from the bones,” says Hays, which means they result in extra withdrawals from your bone bank.

Eating well and exercising, as well as minimising the behaviours that are detrimental to your bones, are the best ways to help keep your bones strong and ward off osteoporosis. “It is never too late to do something to prevent osteoporosis, even if a fracture has already occurred,” Professor Ebeling says. “Something can always be done to improve bone health.”