Did you know that poor posture, joint pain, fatigue, and a higher risk of falling can all be traced back to poor bone health? TheNational Osteoporosis Foundation shared that about 10 million Americans currently have osteoporosis and another 44 million have low bone density. About half of all adults age 50 and older are at risk of breaking a bone. Is this normal? Or is bone loss on the rise? And perhaps most importantly, can anything be done to reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis and keep bone mass high?
What are the most common causes of bone loss?
Bone loss is extremely common among older adults; it is commonly seen as an unavoidable sign of aging. During one's youth, the body produces new bone faster than it breaks old bone down; most people have peak bone mass around age 30. After that, the body continues to build bone mass, but at a slower rate. As this ratio starts to become more and more imbalanced, it places you at an increased risk of fractures, back pain, and more.
An individual's risk of osteoporosis depends on a number of things, but low peak bone mass is one of the greatest risk factors. Maintaining healthy bone massbeforeyou reach age 30 can help to decrease your rate of bone loss. Certain lifestyle habits and unchangeable factors, both before and after age 30, can influence one's risk of osteoporosis. It's not just calcium intake that you need to keep an eye on!Risk factors of osteoporosis include: