Bone Health: The Hard Truth About Brittle Bones

There’s plenty you can do to build healthy bones and maintain them as you age.

Our bones fight a never-ending battle against the causes of osteoporosis. Here are some tips for building healthy bone mass from childhood to adulthood.

Our bones fight a never-ending battle against the effects of hormone changes and general dietary and lifestyle factors–leaving both men and women with an increased risk of osteoporosis.

What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones. Almost 80% of osteoporosis is found in women, although a growing number of older men are also at risk.

Healthy bones begin with childhood
Fortunately, there’s plenty you can do to build healthy bones and maintain them as you age. Children should eat three to four servings of calcium-enriched foods every day to build healthy bones. As an adult, it’s best to add a calcium supplement to your diet.

Soy also appears to benefit bones, replacing calcium-depleting animal protein in the diet and providing a great source of bone-building isoflavones.

Making bone health a priority
Take control of your diet, increase your activity and curb such lifestyle habits as alcohol or smoking. With regular effort, you’ll give yourself the very best chance of having healthy bones–no bones about it!