The importance of bone health

The importance of bone health: 

Bone health is important at any stage of the lifespan. Your bones help you move around and protect organs. Your bones grow throughout childhood and adolescence and bone renewal and remodeling occurs throughout life. Bone is living tissue, with cells breaking down the bone while other cells rebuild new bone. Bones are able to change and adapt to changing load requirements (IE: exercise), which is important as we get older. 

How can I keep my bones healthy? 

  • Eating healthy foods: ensuring that you are eating enough calcium rich food and having a balanced diet. 
  • Keeping active: exercise is beneficial, in particular weight-bearing exercises
  • Reducing or stopping smoking.
  • Drinking alcohol in moderation
  • Getting enough vitamin D from sunlight. 

What are some of the risk factors for poor bone health? 

  • Family history
  • Low calcium intake: adults require 1,000mg daily, increasing to 1,300 mg daily for women over the age of 50 and men over the age of 70. 
  • Low vitamin D levels: Vitamin D is needed to absorb calcium, with a lack of sun exposure can lead to low vitamin D levels. 
  • Medical history:  there are some conditions and medications that can impact bone health
    • Low hormone levels- early menopause in women, low testosterone in men.
    • Certain malabsorption disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease and coeliac disease 
    • Certain breast cancer or prostate cancer treatments
    • Use of certain medications such as corticosteroids 

Sources: 

Healthy Bones Australia, n.d. Your Bone Health-About bones. https://healthybonesaustralia.org.au/your-bone-health/about-bones/https://healthybonesaustralia.org.au/your-bone-health/about-bones/

Health Direct, n.d. Healthy Bones https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/healthy-bones

Healthy Bones Australia, n.d. Your Bone Health- Risk Factors   https://healthybonesaustralia.org.au/your-bone-health/risk-factors/