The National Osteoporosis Foundation offers these tips to help prevent, or slow, osteoporosis:
Reduce your risk factors.
Quitting smoking is particularly important.
Perform weight-bearing exercises
Walking, dancing, lifting weights. While swimming and cycling are great cardiovascular exercise, they're not weight-bearing.
Get 1,000-1,200 mg of calcium daily (adults)
Food is the best source, but you might need calcium-fortified foods and/or calcium supplements. If you do take supplements, spread them out. Calcium is absorbed best when taken 500 mg or less at a time.
Get 800-1,200 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily.
Vitamin D is manufactured in the skin following direct sun exposure, so exposing the hands, arms and face to the sun 10-15 minutes three times a week (depending on your skin sensitivity) is enough to meet the body's vitamin D needs.
If you can't spend time in the sun, take supplements or get vitamin D through your diet (major sources include vitamin D-fortified dairy products, egg yolks, saltwater fish and liver).
Get screened
If you're over 65, menopausal or have any of the osteoporosis
risk factors, get screened.
Lifestyle changes
Hospital dietitians, exercise physiologists and other specialists can work with Bone Health & Osteoporosis patients to help them make these important lifestyle changes.
