Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is the gradual weakening of the bones over a period of years, making them more fragile and likely to break. It is often only found after a small fall or sudden impact causes a bone to break. More than 500,000 people in the UK receive hospital treatment for fragility fractures (fractures that occur from standing height or less) every year as a result of osteoporosis, with over three million people affected by the condition across the UK.

The mainstream’s approach to treating the condition is to use medication to strengthen bones. This approach is not always effective because some osteoporosis drugs actually cause weakening of the bones… talk about a double-whammy! The most important things you must consider when dealing with osteoporosis is strengthening your bones as much as possible, through your diet, supplements and exercise.

Regular exercise is a great way to strengthen your bones. Weight bearing exercises like running, dancing or even jumping on the spot are all useful ways to strengthen your muscles, ligaments and joints. A healthy, balanced diet is of the utmost importance for osteoporosis. Seven hundred mg of calcium and 10mcg of vitamin D a day are essential for maintaining bone strength as well as other health conditions including heart disease. As always, quitting smoking is a sure-fire way to reduce your risk of osteoporosis.

Other ways to strengthen your bones include the antioxidant lycopene – which is found in tomatoes – which has been shown to be effective in helping prevent the weakening of bones as well as bone fractures. Researchers of a ground-breaking study concluded: “Our findings are the first to show that lycopene intervention, given in capsule or juice form, supplying at least 30 mg/day, may decrease the risk of osteoporosis by decreasing oxidative stress and bone resorption.”

For further information on how you could prevent or manage the development of osteoporosis with alternative health breakthroughs, search through our extensive archive right here at the Daily Health.