Our ladette culture of heavy drinking and smoking are two main culprits that can lead to osteoporosis later in life. Anorexia, over dieting and over exercising are the other self-inflicted contributory factors.
It's easy to dismiss osteoporosis as something that happens to older women, but unless you give yourself a quick diet check now you may end up as the one in three women who will suffer from this bone disease later in life.
Good bone health is laid down in the first two decades of your life, but according to Dr Frankie Phillips of the British Nutrition Society, it's never too late. Changes to your diet whatever your age can help alleviate the problem of low bone density that leads to osteoporosis and bone fractures, your teethe loosening and losing height as your bones shrink.
Dr Phillips says, 'You can't keep osteoporosis at bay 100%. But by eating well, by making sure you have enough calcium from milk, yogurt, cheese, fish with soft bones (eg, sardines) and dark green leafy veg, and that you are getting enough vitamin D – we usually we make enough through sunlight on the skin – and avoiding drinking too much alcohol, you are at least heading in the right direction.'
However good you diet though, hereditary factors play a key role in whether you'll get osteoporosis so check with close female family members to see if they have been diagnosed with the disease. Osteoporosis can also be brought on by early menopause (pre 45) or by having a hysterectomy. Corticosteroid tablets used to treat arthritis and asthma also contribute.
The National Osteoporosis Society estimates there are 3 million people with osteoporosis in the UK – that adds up to 70,000 hip fractures, 50,000 wrist fractures and 120,000 spinal fractures.
Before this turns into an episode of Casualty, there are precautions you can take to make sure you aren't on the medical list.
What to eat
You need to eat a well-balanced diet that includes minerals and vitamins and around 500-700mg calcium daily.
Milk, especially low-fat varieties are high in easily absorbed calcium, so that daily skinny latte is not such a bad thing after all. One latte provides around 260mg calcium. Cheese and yogurt are good sources. Parmesan is especially high in calcium; 25g/1oz with a salad provides around 300mg. Around 50g/2oz Cheddar provides 400mg. Non-dairy sources include green leafy vegetables (50g/2oz cooked spinach provides around 300mg), baked beans, pulses, tofu, bony fish, dried fruit especially figs, canned sardines, and white bread. Avoid junk foods and fizzy drinks, which can deplete calcium stores. Eat foods that are high in vitamin D. Margarines, spreads and breakfast cereals are fortified with vitamin D, and it is naturally present in meat and oily fish. Cut down on caffeine as drinking too much means calcium is lost in urine. It's essential you lay down good habits in the first two decades of your life, so make sure children get plenty of calcium.
Exercise helps
The National Osteoporosis Society says 'bones suffer if they are not used'. To strengthen bones, it recommends regular weight-bearing exercise that exerts a loading impact and stretches and contracts the muscles, stimulating bone to strengthen. Jogging, skipping, aerobics, tennis and even a quick walk around the block at lunchtime will help.
For more information
Call the NOS confidential helpline on 0845 4500230. It is open from Monday 10am-5pm; Tuesday to Friday 9.30am-5pm. It is not open Bank Holidays or between Christmas and New Year. Or check out its website at www.nos.org.uk.
