Osteoporosis: Not limited to women

Osteoporosis is a bone-thinning condition that eventually makes the bone weak, lose its strength, and making them prone to breakage. It affects millions of older women and men. Even though women are about twice as prone to fall and break a bone, osteoporosis still presents a considerable risk for men, particularly as they progress into their 80s and 90s.
Osteoporosis is often been considered as women’s disease which has deflected the focus of men from a debilitating disease that they also are susceptible to. Even though it is true that older men get about half as many fractures as older women, the men are more likely to suffer permanent disability and twice as likely to die within a year as women, according to the Center for Disease Control.

All through our life expectancy, our bones change continually: old bone is expelled and supplanted by new bone. And, during our youth, the body delivers more bone than is evacuated while our bones develop and become thick and the skeleton gets bigger and stronger. The growth and density of the bone peaks during the third decade of life. For both men and women, bone density very slowly decreases because the rate of removal of bone material exceeds the rate of formation of new bone. Men in their 50’s don't encounter the quick loss of bone ladies regularly experience following menopause. This is further aggravated as women lose a lot of calcium during pregnancy and breast-feeding. By age 65, both genders experience bone misfortune at around a similar rate, and the assimilation of calcium and different minerals important for bone wellbeing diminishes. Osteoporosis is age-related and is regularly alluded to as the silent disease as it does not show any symptoms until or unless the bone breaks and reveals the issue.

Osteoporosis is age driven and hence, bone loss will happen in the later ages. Men are more susceptible in the 7th and 8th decade of their lives. Any osteoporosis seen in earlier ages is most likely due to the underlying serious condition like cancer or renal failure. However, there are some other factors that we can control which may contribute to a greater bone loss than the one that would happen naturally.

There is limited research done on osteoporosis in men with respect to women, but it is suggested that everyone should take a few preventive measures to keep the strength of their bones intact.

1) Maintain a healthy diet that includes enough vitamin D, good fats, (vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin) and calcium in your diet. Although calcium and vitamin D are available as supplements, recent research suggests gaining minerals and vitamins through food provides for better assimilation.

2) Regular exercise and body weightlifting. Such activities may include brisk walking, jogging, and outdoor sports. Body-weight exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups and lunges should be performed at least twice weekly for specific strength training of the large muscles.

3) Be active throughout the day. A sedentary lifestyle is the enemy of fitness, and that includes
bone fitness.

4) Quit smoking and avoid excessive consumption of alcohol.

5) Regular screening for bone density

(The writer is a preventive healthcare specialist at Indus Health Plus)