Osteoporosis prevention and treatment guide: If you don’t want to be “haunted” by osteoporosis when you are old, it is recommended to read this guide

Hello everyone, October 20th of every year is World Osteoporosis Day. I believe everyone is familiar with osteoporosis, right?

After all, every calcium supplement advertisement emphasizes how terrible osteoporosis is.

But can osteoporosis be cured by just taking calcium tablets? How to prevent osteoporosis? How to treat osteoporosis? Today, let’s explain osteoporosis to you.

First, let's learn about our bones. Our bones are like the frame of a building, supporting our body. In addition to supporting the body and protecting important organs, bones also store minerals such as calcium. Bones are the largest calcium warehouse in our body, and more than 90% of calcium is stored here. The outer layer of the structure of this frame is a hard shell, which wraps the trabeculae inside. Trabeculae are a spongy bone tissue. Although it is spongy, it is not as soft as a sponge. In fact, it is also hard, but it has pores like a sponge.

Osteoporosis is a disease that makes our bones fragile. Just like a pillar that has been hollowed out, the bones become brittle and easy to break. The reason why osteoporosis has received our attention is that the consequences of osteoporosis are far more terrible than people imagine. There are about two million osteoporosis-related fractures every year, 70% of which occur in women. 20% of the elderly die within a year after a fracture, and 50% of them lose the ability to live independently.

So what are the causes of osteoporosis, and why does osteoporosis favor women more? It is because women's hormone levels change greatly before and after menopause, and the decline in estrogen levels can lead to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is relatively rare in men because men have larger bones. Bone loss starts later in men and the rate is not as fast. They also do not have obvious hormonal changes corresponding to bone loss. In addition to gender, there are many other reasons that can cause osteoporosis: such as thin body, picky eating, not liking to get sun, smoking, drinking, lack of exercise, intestinal diseases that affect the absorption of substances such as gastrectomy, endocrine diseases such as diabetes, hyperthyroidism, etc., and kidney diseases such as kidney stones.

The symptoms of osteoporosis will gradually worsen with the loss of bone mass, and you will slowly feel physical fatigue, back pain, hunchback, and become shorter. What's more serious is that fractures are more likely to occur and are not easy to heal.

So how can we know if we have osteoporosis? At this time, we need to use the equipment in the hospital. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry is currently the most accurate method for detecting osteoporosis. This test is based on X-rays and uses trace radiation to measure bone density. The spine, hip joint, and wrist are the most commonly tested parts. The examination process is similar to taking an X-ray: change into hospital clothes, lie down, and be operated by specially trained technicians. No injections or injections are required. It only takes 10-15 minutes to measure the bone density of the bones and spine. The radiation received by the patient is only 1/10 of that of a conventional chest X-ray. Through the examination, you can know your bone density and determine whether you have osteoporosis. Friends who have the above-mentioned causes that are prone to osteoporosis can go to the hospital for examination. In addition, menopausal women, men over 70 years old, and people over 50 years old who have suffered fractures should have regular examinations.

If you don’t have osteoporosis, then congratulations. If you have decreased bone density or osteoporosis, don’t be afraid, just listen to me and learn how to prevent osteoporosis.

Building as much bone density as possible before age 25 to 30 is the best way to prevent osteoporosis in middle and old age. However, at any age, good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle can help prevent osteoporosis or reduce its effects on your life.

The first is diet. Choose a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D. Foods rich in calcium include dairy products, including milk, cheese, and yogurt; green vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach, seafood, and beans. However, friends with hyperuricemia and gout should not eat seafood and eat less beans. For ordinary people, a reasonable combination of daily diet can meet the calcium needs. For example, 300ml of fresh milk, 200g of rapeseed and 160g of tofu can provide more than 800mg of calcium. Therefore, you should eat more dairy products in your diet, and pay attention to matching with green vegetables and nuts.

The best sources of vitamin D in food are eggs and fish. Fatty marine fish such as salmon and herring can provide a certain amount of vitamin D3. Some yeast-fermented foods or plant foods such as mushrooms contain a small amount of vitamin D2. Vitamin D supplementation through food is very limited. The main source of vitamin D in the human body is synthesized by the skin.

In the summer, when the weather is clear, if you expose your arms, the vitamin D synthesized by the skin in half an hour can generally meet the body's needs. Therefore, get some sun when you have nothing to do, and let the sun shine on your skin. Sunbathing through glass does not count. In the winter in the north, there is less sunshine, and many women have low vitamin D. You can measure the level of vitamin D in the blood and supplement it when needed. Exercise regularly, at least three to four times a week, 30 minutes each time with weight-bearing exercises - walking, jogging, weight training, etc., must be exercises for bones and muscles. Swimming is good for cardiopulmonary function, but it does not help prevent osteoporosis. Quit smoking and drinking, and maintain a regular schedule. Prevent falls! Prevent falls! Prevent falls! Important things are said three times!

References:

Ge Jirong, Wang Heming, Zheng Hongxin, et al. Expert consensus on the prevention and treatment of primary osteoporosis with traditional Chinese medicine (2020)[J]. Chinese Journal of Osteoporosis. 2020, 26(12): 1717-1725

Guidelines for the prevention and control of osteoporosis / edited by Wang Linhong, Xia Weibao, and Lin Hua. Beijing: Peking University Medical Press, 2017.8