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For immediate release:  May 3, 2007 (Clyde, NC)

Start Early to Bone Up Against Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis—a disease that causes thin bones that may break easily—affects millions of older women. But younger women should be concerned, too. Healthy lifestyle choices prior to age 30 can help women store enough bone to fight osteoporosis when they’re older.

An Age-Old Issue
Women acquire most of their bone mass by age 20. But women may still add bone until around age 30. After this age, bone mass slowly starts to decrease. Lower estrogen levels cause even more bone loss the first few years after menopause. By maintaining bone-building habits beyond age 30—and past menopause—women may slow down this age-related bone loss.

Building Better Bones
The first step to building a stronger defense against osteoporosis is to get the recommended daily amount of calcium:
- Girls ages 9 to 18 need 1,300 milligrams.
- Women ages 19 to 50 need 1,000 milligrams.
- Women over 50 need at least 1,200 milligrams

Good food sources include low-fat dairy products; dark green, leafy vegetables; and calcium-fortified breads and juices. Calcium supplements also may help, if necessary.

Calcium, however, can’t work alone. The following five lifestyle strategies can help young women keep their bones healthy for a lifetime, too:
1. Exercise regularly. The best activities for bones are weight-bearing ones, such as running, basketball, walking, or tennis. But strength training also builds muscles—and strong muscles are linked to strong bones.
2. Get at least 400 IU of vitamin D daily (your doctor may recommend more.) Vitamin D helps the body use calcium. Fifteen minutes daily exposure to the sun can also provide Vitamin D, however sun screen use, having dark skin or cloudy climates may reduce this process. Eating vitamin D-fortified foods—such as cereal or bread—also ensures proper intake.
3. Limit alcohol to one drink a day. Regularly drinking more alcohol can interfere with estrogen and damage bones.

The Osteoporosis Center at Haywood Regional Medical Center, offers not only quality bone density testing, but many opportunities to learn more about this condition. A recently launched osteoporosis web site, osteoporosis rehabilitation classes and monthly Walking Tall, an educational group open to the community, meetings.

Click here to access the Osteoporosis pages on our HRMC website.