Understand how diet, physical activity and other lifestyle factors can affect your bone mass. Bones play many roles in the body — providing structure, protecting organs, anchoring muscles and storing calcium. While it's important to build strong and healthy bones during childhood and adolescence, you can take steps during adulthood to protect bone health, too.
Your bones are continuously changing — new bone is made and old bone is broken down. When you're young, your body makes new bone faster than it breaks down old bone, and your bone mass increases. Most people reach their peak bone mass around age After that, bone remodeling continues, but you lose slightly more bone mass than you gain.
How likely you are to develop osteoporosis — a condition that causes bones to become weak and brittle — depends on how much bone mass you attain by the time you reach age 30 and how rapidly you lose it after that. The higher your peak bone mass, the more bone you have "in the bank" and the less likely you are to develop osteoporosis as you age.
Include plenty of calcium in your diet. For adults ages 19 to 50 and men ages 51 to 70, the Recommended Dietary Allowance RDA is 1, milligrams mg of calcium a day. The recommendation increases to 1, mg a day for women age 51 and older and for men age 71 and older. Good sources of calcium include dairy products, almonds, broccoli, kale, canned salmon with bones, sardines and soy products, such as tofu. If you find it difficult to get enough calcium from your diet, ask your doctor about supplements.
Pay attention to vitamin D. Your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. The recommendation increases to IUs a day for adults age 71 and older.
Good sources of vitamin D include oily fish, such as salmon, trout, whitefish and tuna. Additionally, mushrooms, eggs and fortified foods, such as milk and cereals, are good sources of vitamin D. Sunlight also contributes to the body's production of vitamin D. If you're worried about getting enough vitamin D, ask your doctor about supplements. If you're concerned about your bone health or your risk factors for osteoporosis, including a recent bone fracture, consult your doctor.
He or she might recommend a bone density test. Want to unlock the potential of food? Connect with a dietitian. What happens to my bones as I age? How can I keep my bones strong? Try these seven tips! Choose calcium-rich foods like: Milk Yogurt Cheese Kefir Choose non-dairy sources of calcium as well, such as fortified soy and rice beverages, canned salmon with bones, leafy green vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and fortified orange juice.
Get enough vitamin D to keep your bones strong Vitamin D helps you absorb calcium in foods. Get enough nutrients to keep your bones strong Potassium, vitamin K and magnesium help your body absorb and use calcium. Stay active to keep your bones strong Aim to be active for at least minutes each week. Try: Weight-bearing exercises like running, walking, hiking, low impact aerobics, dancing, tennis and golf.
Resistance activities like lifting weights or push-ups to help build muscle, which keeps your bones strong. Stretching exercises like yoga and tai chi to help improve balance and coordination, which will lower your risk of falling and breaking bones. Limit caffeine to keep your bones strong Having too much caffeine can decrease the amount of calcium you absorb.
Limit alcohol to keep your bones strong Drinking alcohol can contribute to bone loss. One major risk factor for osteoporosis in older adults is increased bone turnover, or the process of breaking down and forming new bone 7. In a three-month study, women who consumed more than nine servings of broccoli, cabbage, parsley or other plants high in bone-protective antioxidants had a decrease in bone turnover 8.
Consuming a diet high in vegetables has been shown to help create healthy bones during childhood and protect bone mass in young adults and older women. One of the best types of activity for bone health is weight-bearing or high-impact exercise, which promotes the formation of new bone.
Studies in children, including those with type 1 diabetes, have found that this type of activity increases the amount of bone created during the years of peak bone growth 9 , Studies in older men and women who performed weight-bearing exercise showed increases in bone mineral density, bone strength and bone size, as well as reductions in markers of bone turnover and inflammation 11 , 12 , 13 , However, one study found little improvement in bone density among older men who performed the highest level of weight-bearing exercise over nine months Strength-training exercise is not only beneficial for increasing muscle mass.
It may also help protect against bone loss in younger and older women, including those with osteoporosis, osteopenia or breast cancer 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , One study in men with low bone mass found that although both resistance training and weight-bearing exercise increased bone density in several areas of the body, only resistance training had this effect in the hip Performing weight-bearing and resistance training exercises can help increase bone formation during bone growth and protect bone health in older adults, including those with low bone density.
Getting enough protein is important for healthy bones. Researchers have reported that low protein intake decreases calcium absorption and may also affect rates of bone formation and breakdown However, concerns have also been raised that high-protein diets leach calcium from bones in order to counteract increased acidity in the blood.
In fact, research suggests that older women, in particular, appear to have better bone density when they consume higher amounts of protein 25 , 26 , In a large, six-year observational study of over , postmenopausal women, higher protein intake was linked to a lower risk of forearm fractures and significantly higher bone density in the hip, spine and total body In a one-year study, women who consumed 86 grams of protein daily on a calorie-restricted diet lost less bone mass from their arm, spine, hip and leg areas than women who consumed 60 grams of protein per day A low protein intake can lead to bone loss, while a high protein intake can help protect bone health during aging and weight loss.
The RDI for calcium is 1, mg per day for most people, although teens need 1, mg and older women require 1, mg Interestingly, if you eat a meal containing more than mg of calcium, your body will absorb much less of it than if you consume a lower amount.
Calcium is the main mineral found in bones and must be consumed every day to protect bone health. Spreading your calcium intake throughout the day will optimize absorption.
Vitamin D and vitamin K are extremely important for building strong bones. Vitamin D plays several roles in bone health, including helping your body absorb calcium. Indeed, studies have shown that children and adults with low vitamin D levels tend to have lower bone density and are more at risk for bone loss than people who get enough 32 , Unfortunately, vitamin D deficiency is very common, affecting about one billion people worldwide You may be able to get enough vitamin D through sun exposure and food sources such as fatty fish, liver and cheese.
However, many people need to supplement with up to 2, IU of vitamin D daily to maintain optimal levels. Vitamin K2 supports bone health by modifying osteocalcin, a protein involved in bone formation. This modification enables osteocalcin to bind to minerals in bones and helps prevent the loss of calcium from bones.
MK-4 exists in small amounts in liver, eggs and meat. Fermented foods like cheese, sauerkraut and a soybean product called natto contain MK A small study in healthy young women found that MK-7 supplements raised vitamin K2 blood levels more than MK-4 Nevertheless, other studies have shown that supplementing with either form of vitamin K2 supports osteocalcin modification and increases bone density in children and postmenopausal women 36 , 37 , 38 , In a study of women 50—65 years of age, those who took MK-4 maintained bone density, whereas the group that received a placebo showed a significant decrease in bone density after 12 months However, another month study found no significant difference in bone loss between women whose diets were supplemented with natto and those who did not take natto Getting adequate amounts of vitamins D and K2 from food or supplements may help protect bone health.
Dropping calories too low is never a good idea. In addition to slowing down your metabolism, creating rebound hunger and causing muscle mass loss, it can also be harmful to bone health.
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