What is osteoporosis? Is it genuinely a concerning disease for young adults? Learn about its causes, symptoms, and preventive supplements.
What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a medical condition that makes bones fragile and weak. The bone becomes so fragile that even mild stresses such as falling, coughing, and bending can cause severe fractures. Fractures generally affect the spine, wrist, and hip. Bones in our body constantly break and change.
But in this case, replacement is not possible after the bone is broken.It impacts each female and men, however Asian and white women, mainly these who have long gone thru their menopause, are at greater risk.Weight-bearing exercise, a healthy diet and medications can strengthen weak bones and protect against bone loss.
Osteoporosis – Symptoms, Treatment and Causes
There are no warning signs in the early stages and no condition is shown until a fracture occurs. But if there is any family history regarding this problem then you should talk to your doctor and take necessary precautions.
If there are any symptoms, timely treatment should be taken. As such, without proper treatment of the disease, it can become severe by making the bones thinner and weaker thus increasing the fracture risk.
Sometimes there may be some symptoms like weak grip strength, fragile and weak nails, receding gums. More severe symptoms can include back pain, neck pain and loss of height. Bones become so weak and fragile that they can break due to a strong sneeze.
What are the causes of osteoporosis?
Age: This is one of the biggest factors. Throughout our life the bones of our body keep breaking down and new bones keep growing. But when you reach the age of 30, the bones tend to break faster instead of growing back, due to which the bones become more fragile and they are more prone to breakage.
Menopause: This is the condition that occurs in women in the age group of 40-45 years and due to changes in the hormonal levels, the bones start to disappear from the body. Men also continue to break bones even at this age but more slowly than women.
Hypothyroidism: This can also be a cause.
Medical condition or medication: Medicines such as prednisone or cortisone may also be to blame.
What are the consequences of osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis can be a serious risk factor as the bones weaken and become fragile during the course of the disease leading to fractures because of the loss of bone mass. It can also lead to life-long pain and disability.
If it becomes severe it can even lead to death. Thus, the main goal of a person is to regain bone strength and prevent fractures with proper treatment. In most cases, the disease is life-threatening if it is undiagnosed and untreated.
What factors determine bone strength?
The following factors determine the strength of bones:
Genetic factors: These factors are important for determining the bone strength of any individual.
Calcium: The level of calcium in the body should be proper as it is essential for achieving optimum bone health.
Vitamin D: It is essential and adequate for bones as it helps in the absorption of calcium.
Physical activities: It helps in increasing and preserving bone mass and also reduces the risk of breaking bones.
Maintaining body weight: The body weight should be correct because if the person is underweight then the bones become more fragile and weak.
Fertility problems: If there are problems during pregnancy or menopause then there can be problems in relation to this.
Smoking: It reduces bone mass and also increases the risk of fractures and can lead to various diseases. If a person has a habit of alcohol then it should be stopped as it also reduces bone mass.
Who should have a bone density test?
Women who are above 65 years of age and men above 40 years of age should go for a bone density test. If young men and women in the age group of 59-60 have risk factors, it should be taken seriously and go for treatment.
What is the treatment for osteoporosis?
Treatment is based on the risk of breaking a bone over the next 10 years and this information is gathered by performing a bone density test. Tests and treatment should be done at the right time otherwise the risk is high and the bones start breaking and damage starts. This increases the chances of treating osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis Treatment:
Bisphosphonates: At a certain age, both men and women are prone to osteoporosis and an increased risk of fractures and then for bisphosphonates they switch to alendronate (Binosto, Fosamax), risedronate (Actonel, Atelvia), ibandronate (Boniva), zoledronic acid (Resla, Zometa).
Monoclonal antibody drug: Denosumab (Prolia, Xgeva) shows better or similar bone density than bisphosphonates resulting in a reduced chance of fractures of all types.
Hormonal therapy: When estrogen is released soon after menopause it helps maintain bone density. But estrogen therapy increases the risk of breast cancer, endometrial cancer, blood clots, and may also lead to heart diseases. Therefore the use of estrogen should be avoided in younger women in order to enhance bone health or in women in need of treatment of menopausal symptoms.
Replacement therapy: Men have an increased risk of osteoporosis when testosterone levels decline with age.Replacement treatment can be carried out to enhance the stage of testosterone in the body.
Bone building drugs: Medications that increase bone mass may also be given to the patient. If the treatment does not work well, the doctor may prescribe the following medications: teriparatide (Forteo), abaloparatide (Tymlose), romosozumab (Evaneti) .
What are the risk factors for osteoporosis..?
The following are risk factors for osteoporosis:
Age: According to studies, the older you are, the more prone you are to developing it.
Race: Being of Asian or white descent can put you at a higher risk of developing it.
Family history: Having a sibling or parent with osteoporosis can make you more vulnerable to developing it.
Body Frame: Women and men who have smaller body frames usually develop at a younger age, as their bone mass is much less than those with larger body frames.
Sex hormones: Low sex hormones weaken the bones. In addition, low estrogen levels in women during menopause are the most common risk factor for developing it. Treatments used for prostate cancer can lower estrogen and testosterone levels in men leading to reduced bone density.
Thyroid problems: An abundance of thyroid hormones can be a factor in bone loss. If you have an overactive thyroid, taking thyroid hormone medications can treat thyroid.
Other Glands: Osteoporosis can also be caused by the adrenal glands or overactive parathyroid.
Low amount of calcium: Calcium deficiency plays a major role in this. Low calcium intake increases the risk of fractures, early bone loss and low bone density.
Eating Disorders: Restricting food intake can severely weaken bones in both women and men. People who have anorexia are more likely to develop this problem.
Gastrointestinal surgery: Surgery to remove parts of the intestine or reduce the size of your stomach can limit the level of area available to absorb nutrients such as calcium.
Steroids: Sometimes certain drugs and steroids used to treat seizures, gastric reflux, cancer and transplant rejection can also contribute to developing it.
Can osteoporosis be prevented?
There are several factors that help prevent osteoporosis for different age groups:
From childhood to adolescence:
- Must have an adequate amount of calcium.
- Avoid malnutrition and stay under nutrition.
- The body should get enough vitamin D.
- must do physical activities.
Adulthood:
- Adequate amount of calcium and diet should be taken.
- Avoid drinking too much alcohol.
- should not smoke and smoke more.
- Should do regular weight-loss activities.
- Weight loss diets and eating disorders to avoid.
What is the best diet for osteoporosis?
Foods to avoid in osteoporosis:
- Beans (legumes)
- Meat and other high protein food
- salty food
- wheat bran
- alcohol, caffeine
- soft drinks or carbonated drinks
- coffee or tea
Foods to eat in Osteoporosis:
- Dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, low-fat, and nonfat milk.
- fish such as sardines and taking with bones.
- Fresh fruits and vegetables including turnip greens, kale, okra, Chinese cabbage, mustard greens, broccoli, spinach, potatoes, sweet potatoes, oranges, strawberries, papayas, pineapples, bananas, prunes, red and green peppers.
- Calcium and vitamin D intake should be part of every diet.
What are the home remedies for osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis home remedies:
Vinegar: It helps in increasing the calcium level in the bones and helps in strengthening the bone.
Tofu: In research, it has been found that soy resembles the compound that women need to maintain the balance of a hormone called estrogen which helps in increasing bone density.
Red cmarcogesic oilr: This is a type of herb that has been found to have some estrogen-like effect and has been shown to have good bone density in women who take a red cmarcogesic oilr supplement.
Not smoking: It is also important to change the behavior like smoking which is harmful to the body and due to this menopause comes early in women. Thus, the risk of osteoporosis increases
Do not lose too much weight: There should not be a lot of loss in one’s weight because in order to lose weight, the person cuts the diet and does not take enough vitamins and minerals.