{"id":4904,"date":"2024-05-14T12:32:10","date_gmt":"2024-05-14T17:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.northwestpharmacy.com\/healthperch\/?p=4904"},"modified":"2024-05-14T12:32:14","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T17:32:14","slug":"why-you-should-pay-attention-to-bone-health-as-you-get-older","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.northwestpharmacy.com\/healthperch\/why-you-should-pay-attention-to-bone-health-as-you-get-older","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Pay Attention to Bone Health as You Get Older"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Your bone health is key to your overall health and preventing injuries as you age. Bone loss is a natural part of aging that, if left untreated, can lead to weak or brittle bones (osteoporosis)<\/a>. More than 10 million Americans<\/a> over the age of 50 are currently living with osteoporosis. Fortunately, you can slow bone loss as you age with the right lifestyle changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to learn more about how your bone health changes as you age and what you can do to prevent osteoporosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Bone Made Of?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From a young age, your bones are constantly growing and building to form new tissue. Collagen proteins create a framework<\/a> to build new bone. This framework is filled with minerals \u2014 like calcium phosphate \u2014 that make bones hard and strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside your bones, there are specialized cells<\/a> that help build new tissue and break down old tissue. Osteoblasts help make new bone, while osteoclasts break it down and resorb bone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Happens to Bone as You Age?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bone is a living tissue that\u2019s always remodeling itself. As you age, the balance between bone buildup and bone breakdown shifts.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Childhood and Young Adulthood<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re a child or teenager, your body creates more bone tissue<\/a> than it breaks down. As a result, your bones become larger and denser. Most people reach peak bone mass<\/a> \u2014 maximum strength and size of their bones \u2014 between the ages of 25 and 30. When you reach adulthood, the process of bone buildup and breakdown is about equal<\/a>. This helps maintain your bone mass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Older Adulthood<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After the age of 40, the scales begin to tip. Your osteoclasts start to work more than your osteoblasts, meaning you begin losing bone mass<\/a>. This is especially true for women going through menopause<\/a>. Estrogen helps slow bone breakdown and resorption \u2014 without enough estrogen<\/a>, you begin experiencing more bone loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many men think that they aren\u2019t at risk of osteoporosis, but this is a common myth<\/a>. Older men are also at risk<\/a> of losing bone mass due to low estrogen and testosterone levels<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Risks of Poor Bone Health with Aging<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you lose too much bone mass, you\u2019re more likely to develop osteopenia or osteoporosis. Osteopenia refers to low bone mineral density (BMD)<\/a>, meaning you have less calcium and minerals in your bones. As a result, your bones are weaker than normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If osteopenia is left untreated, you\u2019re at risk of develop osteoporosis<\/a>. This is a bone disease caused by very low BMD and loss of bone mass. You\u2019re more likely to fracture or break a bone<\/a> with osteoporosis \u2014 especially in your wrist, hip, or spine. These breaks can cause severe pain<\/a>, affect your mobility, and even result in disability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Osteopenia<\/a> and osteoporosis<\/a> are known as \u201csilent conditions\u201d because they don\u2019t cause any symptoms. Unfortunately, you won\u2019t know you have them until you either have a bone density screening test or you break a bone. This is why it\u2019s important to take steps to support your bone health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tips To Improve Your Bone Health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Want to keep your bones healthy and strong as you age? Here are some tips to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take Calcium and Vitamin D Supplements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Calcium and vitamin D are key nutrients for bone health. Your body can\u2019t make calcium on its own<\/a>, so it\u2019s important to get the minerals from your diet. You also need vitamin D<\/a> to help absorb the calcium you eat. Our skin makes some vitamin D when we\u2019re out in the sun, but many people don\u2019t get enough sunlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) recommends meeting your daily calcium and vitamin D requirements<\/a> to maintain bone health. The AAOS suggests<\/a> men and women ages 20 to 70 take 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium and 1000 international units (IU) of vitamin D every day. After age 70, men and women should increase their intake to 1,200 mg of calcium and 800 IU of vitamin D daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get Regular Exercise<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To help prevent osteoporosis in older age, it\u2019s important to get enough exercise. When you walk, jog, or lift weights, it puts pressure and stress on your bones<\/a>. Your body responds by making your bones stronger to prevent fractures or breaks. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) recommends a combination of exercises<\/a> for bone strength, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n