If you’re concerned about your bone wellness, the best place to start is with your family history. If your parent or sibling has had, or has, osteoporosis, your wellbeing is also more likely to be affected by it so consult your family to see if you’re at risk, and, regardless of the answer, start work on your bone strength.
Begin your bone-strengthening with calcium consumption. Calcium is vital for your teeth and bones to develop properly, and, as an added bonus, this mineral also helps your muscle function, nerve signalling, hormone secretion, and blood pressure. However, before calcium can do any good, your body needs help absorbing it so pair calcium-rich foods with those high in vitamin D. That means choosing shrimp, fortified foods like cereal and orange juice, sardines, eggs (in the yolks) and tuna, as well as yogurt, cheese, milk, spinach and collard greens. You can also get vitamin D from sunshine and supplements, and it’s recommended that you get your vitamin D levels checked and discuss supplement use with a doctor.
There is also evidence to suggest that vitamin K helps your body make proteins for healthy bones, though the reason why is unclear. However, as it definitely helps your body with blood clotting, you should still be getting your fill of foods like kale, broccoli, Swiss chard and spinach. Likewise, though it’s not a well-known bone health aid, potassium potentially neutralises acids that remove calcium from the body, as well as helping your nerves and muscles communicate and your cells remove waste, so go for sweet potatoes, white potatoes (with the skin on), yogurt and bananas.
A lack of exercise is a major risk factor for osteoporosis, as well as numerous other health conditions, so make sure you’re getting regular exercise from activities that keep your bones at their strongest. This means weight-bearing exercises like running, walking, jumping rope, skiing and stair climbing, as well as resistance training from lifting weights. Even if you already have osteoporosis, exercising will improve your strength and balance, which will prevent falls and fractures.
Finally, caffeine, alcohol and cigarettes are your deadliest foes when building and maintaining bone strength. Smoking can prevent your body from efficiently absorbing calcium, which decreases your bone mass, and though caffeine can benefit your wellness in some ways, your bone strength is not one of them. Studies have shown that caffeine and alcohol, when drunk to excess, interferes with your body’s ability to absorb calcium so drink each in moderation, and up your intake of calcium and vitamin D for strong and healthy bones.
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