Simple Steps to Avoiding Osteoporosis

Mar. 18 -- A woman stops growing new bone at around age 30. If she does not take steps to maintain good bone health when she is young, she is at risk as she ages for a bone disease called osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a thinning and weakening of bones so that normal activities such as lifting a box or getting out of bed can cause serious fractures.

Each year, 1.5 million people are hospitalized from fractures related to osteoporosis, and 15 to 20 percent die of complications related to the breaks. While treatment for osteoporosis has improved over the past 10 years, the best advice is still to avoid the illness if you can.

"The more bone you can lay down by 30 — the more bone you maintain through your 30s and 40s — the more bone you will have available to lose as you age," explains Robert Lash, Clinical Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, MI.

Tips to Avoid Osteoporosis

"There are a lot of things a young woman can do to lower her risk," Lash says. His advice includes:

Make sure you get enough calcium. A teaspoon of cream in your coffee is not enough. Women should be getting at least three servings a day of calcium rich food like milk, yogurt and cheese.

Take a daily multi-vitamin. This will increase your calcium and your vitamin D, another mineral that is crucial for good bone health.

Stay fit and exercise. "Lots of people think that the only weight-bearing exercises matter," says Lash. "They may be best for bones, but any sort of exercise will help keep bones strong."

Know your risk. Women with a family history of osteoporosis are at higher risk for developing the disorder. "If you are a 45 year old woman whose mother has lost five inches off her height and suffered a hip fracture, you want to get checked sooner rather than later to make sure you are not in the early stages of osteoporosis," Lash explains.

Consider having a bone-density scan, especially after menopause. "Women 20-40 years probably don't need to have a test yet," says Lash. "But as you age, a bone density test can tell you how much bone you have and whether you should start treatment."