How to prevent osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones. The word means "porous bone". It weakens your bones and makes them more prone to fractures.

Bone is a kind of living tissue which gets broken down and replaced, and osteoporosis usually happens when formation of new bones happens slower than the loss of old bones.

Elderly people, especially women who are past menopause, are more prone to the disease.

If not managed, it can hamper the daily lives of patients. In the early stages, it is hard to detect. But once it advances, symptoms like back pain, loss of height, bones breaking easily are noticed.

Prevention of osteoporosis should be given more importance as its treatment can be tricky.

In order to prevent this disease, we need to be mindful of our bone health.

Good nutrition and exercise are necessary to keep bones healthy and strong.

People aged between 18-50 should consume around 1,000 mg of calcium daily. The amount increases for older women and men.

Good sources of calcium we can have daily are dairy products, green leafy vegetables, seafood like salmon and fish, soy products etc.

You can also consider taking calcium supplements as per the dosage your doctor recommends.

Vitamin D is essential for bone health as it helps absorb the calcium you consume. The most basic source of vitamin D is sunlight. Dietary sources are cod liver oil, trout and salmon etc. There are several brands of milk and cereal available nowadays, which claim to be fortified with vitamin D.

People with limited access to vitamin D sources may also take supplements. Most people need around 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day.

Exercise also helps you build strong bones and slows down the process of bone loss. It is best to start exercising when you're young and continue throughout life.