There are an estimated 10 million Americans with osteoporosis, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
A disease that causes bones to become abnormally thin, weakened and easily broken, osteoporosis mostly affects women (although men can also develop it) and can have sometimes serious complications.
Dr. Katie Walton, with the Highland Clinic, said bone health issues can vary for girls and women of different ages and ethnic backgrounds, but Caucasian and older women are more common among other groups as well.
“Being female puts you at risk of developing osteoporosis and broken bones,” Walton said. “Women tend to have smaller, thinner bones than men. And estrogen, a hormone in women that protects bones, decreases sharply when women reach menopause, and can cause bone loss. This is why the chance of developing osteoporosis increases as women reach menopause.”
Walton shared some statistics that show one-in-two women over the age of 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis, and a woman’s risk of breaking a hip is equal to her combined risk of breast, uterine and ovarian cancer.
“Risk factors for osteoporosis include both controllable and uncontrollable factors,” Walton said. “Controllable risk factors include not getting enough calcium and vitamin D, not eating enough fruits and vegetables, an inactive lifestyle, smoking and drinking too much alcohol.”
The non-controllable factors were things like being over the age of 50, menopause, family history, low body weight or being too small and thin, and broken bones or height loss. The breaking of a bone was a serious complication Walton mentioned of osteoporosis.
“Especially when you’re older, broken bones due to osteoporosis are most likely to occur in the hip, spine and wrist, but other bones can break, too,” she said. “Broken bones can cause severe pain that may not go away. With osteoporosis some people lose height and become shorter. It can also affect your posture, causing you to become stooped or hunched.”
Walton said that an optimal diet for preventing or treating osteoporosis includes consuming an adequate number of protein and calories as well as optimal amounts of calcium and vitamin D, which are essential in helping to maintain proper bone formation and density.
“The main dietary sources of calcium include milk and other dairy products, such as cottage cheese, yogurt or hard cheese, and green vegetables, such as kale and broccoli,” she continued. “Calcium supplements may be suggested for women who cannot get enough calcium in their diet. Calcium doses greater than 500 mg/day should be taken in divided doses.”
Exercise was another important factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and combating osteoporosis.
“Exercise may decrease fracture risk by improving bone mass in pre-menopausal women and helping to maintain bone density for women after menopause,” Walton said.
“Furthermore, exercise may decrease the tendency to fall due to weakness. Physical activity reduces the risk of hip fractures in older women as a result of increased muscle strength. Most experts recommend exercising for at least 30 minutes three times per week.”
Things to avoid were made clear – excessive alcohol consumption and smoking.
“Drinking alcohol excessively (more than two drinks a day) can increase the risk of fracture due to an increased risk of falling, poor nutrition and more,” she said. “[And smoking] cigarettes is known to speed bone loss. One study suggested that women who smoke one pack per day throughout adulthood have a fi ve to 10 percent reduction in bone density by menopause, resulting in an increased risk of fracture.”
When diagnosing for osteoporosis, Walton states that a bone density test is the only test that can diagnose for the disease before a broken bone occurs.
“This test helps to estimate the density of your bones and your chance of breaking a bone,” she said. “The NOF [National Osteoporosis Foundation] recommends a bone density test of the hip and spine by a central DXA [dual energy X-ray absorptiometry] machine to diagnose osteoporosis.”
When it comes to treatment with medication, Walton said it should be used by people with the highest risk of fracture, as they are the ones most likely to benefi t from drug therapy.
“There are two categories of osteoporosis medications – anti-resorptive medications that slow bone loss and anabolic drugs that increase the rate of bone formation,” she said. “Anti-resorptive medicines slow the bone loss that occurs in the breakdown part of the remodeling cycle, but still make new bone at the same pace.
“Therefore, bone density may increase. The goal of treatment with anti-resorptive medicines is to prevent bone loss and lower the risk of breaking bones. Teriparatide, a form of parathyroid hormone, increases the rate of bone formation and is in a distinct category of osteoporosis medicines called anabolic drugs,” she continued. “This is currently the only osteoporosis medicine approved by the FDA that rebuilds bone.”
– Katie Ho
