Grace Wade, associate editor and contributor for Popular Science, discusses in an article how we can keep our bone healthy and strong.

Our 206 bones do more than just keep us standing, walking, and singing through life. They also protect our organs, harbor bone marrow, and store minerals such as phosphorus and calcium. But just like your muscles, bones require maintenance work. Here’s how to keep them healthy for the long run.

Grace Wade explains that bone strength building process starts shortly after birth and continues until we are about 30 years old reaching plateaus around in our 40s. Thereafter, after skeleton reportedly starts to whither, gradually in men and more rapidly in women, and even becoming brittle when we age.

Osteoporosis— “a chronic disease that causes the body’s framework to become soft and brittle—can occur, and increase a person’s risk of bone fractures.”

It is a silent disease until it’s not. People don’t realize they have osteoporosis until they break something. That is why we stress asking for evaluations.

– Paul Anderson, the Vice Chair for Own the Bone, an American Orthopedic Association committee (Source: Popular Science)

The article, suggests the following measures for maintaining and strengthening our bone health.

Strengthening Bone Skeleton Health

• “Following a healthy, well-rounded diet can help maintain our skeleton’s strength. You’ve probably been told to drink milk for strong, healthy bones since you were little. Foods like milk, cheese, kale, and sardines are rich in calcium—the building block of bones. Without adequate calcium, your body begins leaching it from the bone for other essential uses like heart and muscle functioning. That’s why the FDA recommends consuming between 1000 to 1200 milligrams of this vital mineral daily. Post-menopausal women and those with dairy allergies or dietary restrictions like veganism should be even more conscious of their calcium intake.
• “Proper Vitamin D intake is also crucial to a calcium-rich diet. The vitamin helps the gut absorb calcium and helps the kidneys break down and reabsorb calcium that would otherwise be excreted through our urinary tracts. Without it, this bone-building mineral would pass right through our bodies. Vitamin D is rarely found naturally in food, so most people soak it up through sunlight. Those living in northern latitudes where sunlight is scarce such as Chicago, the Dakotas, or Canada can turn to vitamin D-fortified foods like cereal and milk. Whether it’s obtained by basking in the sun’s rays or enjoying an ice cold glass of milk, the FDA recommends about 800 to 1,000 international units of vitamin D daily.
• “Quantity is just as important as quality when it comes to our diet. Without proper caloric intake—especially in our adolescent years—our body is unable to build bone mass.
• “Avoiding harmful toxins is essential for overall bone health. Anderson claims smoking tobacco causes calcium to escape via our urinary tract. It also causes an increase in cortisol, a hormone that’s known to breakdown bone. Tobacco isn’t the only toxin that can influence bone health; excess alcohol intake—defined as more than three standard drinks a day—is associated with chronic liver disease, a precursor to osteoporosis.

You can eat the right amount of calcium and vitamin D and take supplements, but if you are not taking in the proper amount of fuel you can still potentially lose bone mass.

– Jennifer Maynard, a family physician and sports medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic’s Jacksonville, Florida campus (Source: Popular Science)

Exercise, in any form. Bones, like muscles, respond to stress. As the saying goes, if you don’t use it, you lose it. When we don’t actively load our skeletons, calcium begins to leak from bones. Thankfully, just 20 minutes of weight-bearing exercises a day like walking or lifting weights, can help maintain or even increase bone mass (though increases are likely minimal)

– Paul Anderson, the Vice Chair for Own the Bone, an American Orthopedic Association committee (Source: Popular Science)

Grace wade adds “Getting in those extra steps or reps and getting regular checkups will help keep your bones strong as you age”.