As bones are in a constant state of rebuilding, when it become porous they would lose its strength in supporting our body structures. And hence the danger here is facing bones fracture incident.

A young person with strong resilient bones, who experiences a simple broken or fractured bone will heal fairly quickly. However, an older person who experiences a Hip fracture ( which is a common occurrence among seniors with osteoporosis ), could find that he has crossed the threshold into disability and worse.

More often than not, many people have the wrong idea thinking that osteoporosis is a woman’s disease. While it could be true that women can be at higher risk of bone loss during ( and after ) menopause, men also are commonly afflicted.

While genetics could plays a role in the development of osteoporosis, there’s a lot that you can actually do now to improve your chances of having a strong, flexible bones when moving into old age. More commonly, these are :-

1. Boost your calcium and vitamin D intake.

Calcium is a mineral used in a wide variety in our body functions. If you’re not getting sufficient calcium from your diet, your body will begin to break down the calcium in your bones to use it elsewhere.

Vitamin D helps your body both absorb calcium and deposit it into the bones. Many medical studies have demonstrated that adequate amounts of both calcium mineral and vitamin D will improve bone mineral density. Adequate vitamin D in daily dietary intake is important to preserve bone strength.

Our skin actually makes vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet rays of the sun. Unfortunately, many of us do not get sufficient vitamin D from either sunlight or dietary sources, so it may be important to consider adding a supplement to your diet.

Some of the best sources of calcium are low-fat and non fat dairy products like yogurt, sardines, broccoli, fortified soymilk and soy foods, cereals and much more.

2. Resistance exercise to preserve bone strength.

Resistance training and weight-bearing exercise like walking would certainly helps to stimulate new bone formation. It also helps preserves lean body mass , which also helps to keep your weight scale in-check. Exercise in general and soft type, example “Tai Chi” , could helps to enhances flexibility.

3. Don’t forget your Vitamin K

Vitamin K, is being recognized as an important player in the promotion of bone strength. There has been research showing that when a person who took vitamin K supplements, along with vitamin D, zinc, calcium, and magnesium, had significantly less bone loss after three years compared with others who took either a placebo or the same supplements minus the vitamin K.

Currently, common recommended dose for vitamin K is 9o mcg (micrograms) a day for women, and 120 mcg a day for men. Vitamin K is particularly abundant in spinach, other sources include cabbage too.

4. Potassium – Bone Booster.

Research has shown that people who get a good supply of potassium experience less bone loss than others who do not. As potassium is readily available in many fruits and vegetables, we should have no problem to reach daily healthy intake of potassium of 8,000 mg . For knowledge, a single potato has 940 mg of potassium, and a banana contains 490 mg !

5. Watch Your Caffeine Consumption.

It is well known that excessive amounts of caffeine can affect bone strength, as it increases the amount of calcium excreted in the urine. Limit your daily coffee consumption ! Don’t forget that soda contain caffeine as well as phosphates, which tend to pull calcium from the bones.

While many people love coffee, and some consider it a must for daily intake, you should consider adding some non fat milk, or low-fat milk, or calcium-fortified soymilk to your coffee. This could helps to counteract adverse effects of the caffeine.