Healthy Bones Australia<\/a> recommends \u201cwomen and men over 50 with risk factors for osteoporosis need a bone check up with a bone density scan\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\nThe risk factors that contribute to poor bone health<\/p>\n
Like any serious condition, there are a number of risk factors that can increase the likelihood of developing poor bone health. Ford highlights that \u201cwhile there is no single cause of poor bone health in seniors, several factors often combine and compound\u201d that adversely impact the condition of bones.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite the biological changes that occur in older age that contribute to the condition of bones, chronic health conditions can also contribute to poor bone health.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeniors are also more likely to experience other comorbidities that can impact bone health, such as diabetes or arthritis,\u201d Ford said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne other factor to consider is the medication that we are required to take for co-existing medical conditions (such as steroids), which can have the negative side effect of bone loss \u2013 it\u2019s important to be aware of this so that we can take steps to minimise these negative effects.\u201d<\/p>\n
The structure of bones is constantly in a state of change with new bone constantly being regenerated to replace the old, however \u201cas we age, bone loss occurs at a greater rate than bone growth\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis can be due to a number of different factors. First, as we age, our bodies produce less of the hormones that help to build and maintain our bones,\u201d Ford explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdditionally, seniors are often less active than younger adults, which can lead to disuse atrophy and bone mineral loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ensuring bones remain healthy and strong<\/p>\n
Given that the consequence of poor bone health is often suffering a painful break or fracture, it\u2019s important to adopt measures that can help avoid such dire consequences.<\/p>\n
Prevention is certainly favourable to cure in this instance and like any chronic health condition, there are a number of lifestyle changes and behaviours that can be adopted in order to ensure good bone health.<\/p>\n
Ensuring adequate Vitamin D and calcium intake is crucial for maintaining good bone health and ditching cigarettes and giving up alcohol can limit the risk of bone loss. However, Ford\u2019s \u201cfavourite way to improve bone health\u201d is resistance training.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWeight-bearing exercise such as resistance training, walking, or dancing can also help to maintain bone density,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cResistance training, also known as weightlifting or strength training, is an excellent way to improve bone mineral density.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you lift weights, your bones respond by becoming stronger and denser. This is because they are basically being restructured in order to better support your body. This is especially beneficial for older adults, who tend to lose bone mass as they age.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition to improving bone health, resistance training has also been shown to have additional benefits, such as increasing muscle mass, reducing body fat, and improving balance and coordination. As a result, resistance training provides many important benefits for overall health and well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n
While ageing is inevitable, weak bones don\u2019t have to be \u2014 and by acting now, you can stay strong, mobile, and independent for many years to come.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn\u2019t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it\u2019s not personalised health advice and shouldn\u2019t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Starts at 60 spoke further with Ford to gain a better understanding of the signs that can indicate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":224244,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[64,63,137,35850,7061],"class_list":["post-224243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-health","tag-physical-health","tag-the-latest-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224243"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224243\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}