What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a medical condition where bones become weak, fragile and brittle. The weakened bones can break or fracture from relatively minor traumas. It is a medical condition usually related to advancing age, like menopause.

How does estrogen play a role in bone health?

Bones are in a constant state of change, with old bone being replaced by new bone. This process is called “bone remodeling”.

Estrogen helps maintain bone density (strong bones) by keeping the essential mineral, calcium, in the bones.

How does menopause increase the risk of osteoporosis?

When a woman reaches menopause, reduced estrogen levels causes bone density to decrease more rapidly than in premenopause, leading to brittle bones and ultimately, a break or fracture occurs.

The image below illustrates the average woman’s bone density in relation to age and stage of menopause. Bone density increases from birth up to about 30 years old, where maximum bone density is achieved. After the age of 30 years, bone density slowly decreases from the natural process of “bone remodeling”. Once menopause is reached, the low estrogen levels cause calcium to be leached from the bones at a much faster rate and therefore bone density decreases quite rapidly.

How can I reduce my risk?

Osteoporosis is a “silent” disease because in most cases, signs and symptoms are not noted until a broken bone or fracture occurs. It’s always best to prevent a disease, especially osteoporosis, and a diet rich in calcium is one of the best prevention methods available.

Postmenopause women need about 1.2 grams (1200 milligrams) of calcium daily to help maintain bone density. Calcium rich foods include:

• dairy products, such as milk, yoghurt and cheese
• leafy green vegetables, such as broccoli, chinese cabbage and cauliflower
• salmon
• tofu
• some nuts, such as, brazil nuts and almonds
• dried beans

Adding weight bearing exercise, such as weight training or walking, to a calcium rich diet can greatly reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis postmenopause. Smoking cessation is also vital in prevention of osteoporosis and many other medical conditions.

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