How to Prevent Osteoporosis, by Julie

When people get old, they lose bone density. However, some of them will lose too much bone, which causes osteoporosis. Women more commonly have osteoporosis than men. Osteoporosis affects to women because of aging, menopause, giving birth, etc. Osteoporosis is difficult to feel because it does not cause symptoms except for bone fractures. In the United States, more than 10 million people have osteoporosis and almost 34 million more have low bone density. Serious osteoporosis will cause bone factures. One in two white women will have a bone fracture in America caused by osteoporosis in her lifetime. Also, American health care for a bone fracture costs a great deal of money. In 1995, the United States spent more than 14 billion dollars to take care of fractures due to osteoporosis. To treat a hip fracture and fractures of the vertebrae caused by osteoperosis is expensive. In 1997, vertebral fractures cost more than 500,000 dollars. Also, twenty percent of people who experience a hip fracture will die in the year following the fracture, and most of them are women. Osteoporosis is a serious problem for American women. The three most common solutions for osteoporosis in women are to stop drinking alcohol, coffee, soda, and smoking cigarettes, to increase calcium, and to exercise in the sun.

First, women prevent osteoporosis by avoiding alcohol, coffee, soda, and smoking. Alcohol damages the mucous membrane of the stomach, which makes the body unable to absorb calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D well. These three materials are very important in bone metabolism. Also, alcohol damages kidneys, where calcium is reabsorbed, increasing the amount of calcium discharged from the body. Coffee has caffeine which induces calcium to leave the body with urine. When calcium is lost from the body, bone density is lost. Soda has a large number of phosphates which interfere with bone formation. Smoking one pack of cigarettes per day leads to a loss of 5% to 10% of bone mass in a life time. Smoking cigarettes decreases estrogen levels and can lead women to lose bone mass before menopause and to experience menopause earlier. Alcohol, caffeine, soda, and cigarettes are all factors that lead to bone loss.

A second solution for osteoporosis in women is increasing calcium through calcium-rich foods and supplements. Building strong and healthy bones requires enough calcium. Calcium is an important factor in bone formation. There are many foods that have calcium, such as milk, cheese, sesame seeds, soy beans, broccoli, kelp, Jew's-ear, etc. Also, people can take calcium supplements, but supplements alone are not enough to treat osteoporosis and should not be viewed as an alternative to more powerful osteoporosis medications.

Third, women can avoid osteoporosis by exercising and exposure to sunlight. Exercise has a broad variety of helpful health effects. However, exercise does not increase bone density. The benefit of exercise for osteoporosis is that it improves bone and muscle strength, which can help women to not easily fall down. Research has not shown what type of exercise is best for osteoporosis or for how long yet, but weight-bearing exercise and regular exercise are important. It is most beneficial to exercise in the sun. The skin can produce vitamin D from exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D is important for maintaining bone density and strength. However, vitamin D and calcium alone are not enough to treat osteoporosis; vitamin D and calcium need to combine with other materials to help increase bone density. Only exposure to sunlight can produce enough vitamin D.

To conclude, osteoporosis is a significant problem for ageing women. Serious osteoporosis will cause fractures. Also, hip factures may lead to death. In America, it costs a great deal of money to take care of factures, especially spinal factures, caused by osteoporosis. Women should quit drinking alcohol, coffee, soda, and smoking to prevent loss of bone density. Also, women can increase calcium by increasing their intake of foods which contain calcium or by taking supplements. Finally, women can regularly exercise to make bones strong, and exposure to sunlight helps the skin produce vitamin D, which is important for the body to build strong bones. These three solutions can help women avoid osteoporosis. When women get old, they can still walk freely and not easily facture their bones.