Osteoporosis is the disease that is most likely to cause weak bones. It is more common in older people, especially women. But it is doesn’t have to happen to YOU when you get older. That’s because, for many people, osteoporosis can be prevented.

Build Strong Bones Now

Osteoporosis is the disease that is most likely to cause weak bones. It is more common in older people, especially women. But it is doesn’t have to happen to YOU when you get older. That’s because, for many people, osteoporosis can be prevented.

Throughout life you are constantly forming new bone and losing old bone. These two processes go on at the same time. But children and teens form new bone faster than they lose the old bone. Older people, on the other hand, eventually lose bone faster than they form it. Osteoporosis occurs when you lose too much bone, make too little of it, or both.

Most people don’t have the opportunity that you have right now: YOU can actually build denser, stronger bones now in a way that isn’t possible later. This will make you healthier, and it will set you up to have stronger bones when you are older – when weak bones can be serious.

Your Skeleton Is Alive!

Your skeleton is more than just the frame that your body hangs on. Contrary to popular belief, bone is living, growing tissue.

Bone is made up of collagen, calcium-phosphate minerals complexes and living bone cells. Together, these substances give bones hardness, strength and flexibility. Just like all other cells in the body, bone cells constantly replace themselves throughout life.

Bone changes over a lifetime

The recipe for bone health is simple:

• get enough calcium and vitamin D, and eat a well balanced diet
• exercise (do weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercise)
• don’t smoke or drink

Calcium and Vitamin D

The nutrient calcium is the building block of your bones. So, it’s important that you get enough. Until you’re 18, you should get 1,300 mg each day. After you’re 19, you will still need about 1,000 mg per day. A cup of skim milk has about 30 percent of the recommended calcium and 25 percent of the vitamin D you need each day. Low-fat and fat-free dairy products (milk, yogurt, and cheese) are good sources of calcium. So are certain cereals and juices that have calcium added to them.

You can get some calcium from certain green vegetables like broccoli and almonds, but you would have to eat a lot of these foods to get a full serving of calcium. Many foods list the amount of calcium in each serving on the label.

You need another nutrient, vitamin D, because it helps you absorb calcium. Your skin makes vitamin D when it is exposed to the sun. Because too much sun exposure can cause skin cancer, though, you might want to consider other sources of vitamin D. Some foods contain the vitamin. For example, it is added to most milk. Some kinds of fish also contain it. It is available in supplements, too. Until the age of 18, you should get 600 International Units (IU) of vitamin D each day. If you are 19 years old, you should get between 400 and 800 IUs of vitamin D each day.

Exercise 

The same way your muscles get bigger and stronger when you use them, your bones get stronger when you make them work. You can “work” your bones by lifting weights, but you can also work them by doing activities where your body has to work against gravity. Some examples are walking, running, dancing, and playing soccer. Many sports involve some weight-bearing activity, although swimming and biking do not. Aim to be active for part of each day on almost every day.

Smoking and Drinking

You probably know that smoking is bad for your health. It also damages your bones. Plus, smoking might make it harder for your body to absorb calcium. And, as it turns out, smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to break bones.

Drinking too much alcohol is also bad for your bones, and it might hurt your body’s calcium supply.

Eating Disorders and Other Warning Signs

The eating disorders anorexia and bulimia can weaken your bones and increase your risk of osteoporosis when you are older. If you have anorexia you become very thin, but you don’t eat enough because you think you are fat. Bulimia involves periods of overeating followed by purging, sometimes through vomiting or using laxatives.

You should talk to a parent, doctor, or health professional immediately if you have one of these disorders or if you stop getting your period for more than three months in a row (and you are not pregnant). This is a condition called amenorrhea and it is also bad for your bones.