Bone Up on Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is responsible for 1.5 million fractures each year. The cost to treat these fractures registers at nearly $14 billion annually. Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones, especially the hip, spine and wrist, become porous, or full of holes, making the bone frail and prone to fractures. One out of two women and one in eight men will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. Currently, 10 million Americans already have the disease, and another 18 million have low bone mass placing them at increased risk for developing osteoporosis.

Certain people are more likely to get osteoporosis than others, especially those who have one or vore of the risk factors associated with the disease. Steps can be taken, however, to prevent the crippling disease.

Building strong bones, especially during the first three decades of life, can be the best defense against osteoporosis. By the age of 20, skeletal growth is nearly complete; however, increases in bone density can occur throughout the 30s. According to t-e U.S. National Institutes of Health, only 10 percent of girls and 25 percent of boys meet the current dietary recommendations for calcium, and many do not get enough exercise. Research shows that exercise helps frame bone mass in childhood. Adequate dietary calcium is essential to ensure peak bone mass development during critical stages of growth. Parents are encouraged to include at least one food high in calcium with each meal and snack to ensure youngsters get enough calcium. Children should also be encouraged to engage in at least one hour of physical activity each day.

Exercise is important to the prevention or treatment of osteoporosis. Exercise works by slowing the loss of calcium from bone, maintaining posture and improving overall fitness to reduce the risk of falls and injury. Weight-bearing exercises are activities you do on your feet with your bones supporting your weight, such as walking, jogging and stair climbing. They work directly on bones in your legs, hips and lower spine to slow calcium loss. Weight-lifting or strength training can strengthen muscles and also work directly on bone to slow calcium loss. Play it safe and always check with your doctor before starting any exercise program, especially if you are a man over 40 or a woman over 50 and have a family history of heart disease. If you already have osteoporosis, it is especially important to get help from your doctor in designing an exercise program that is right and safe for you.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Currently there is no cure for osteoporosis, but adopting a healthy lifestyle can keep your bones strong and greatly reduce your risk. Remember to:

Activity – FLOUR DISPLAY

The calcium in our bodies would look like flour if removed. This flour display represents the amount of calcium in our bones if our calcium intake is adequate.

A newborn has only 27 grams of calcium in its body, which would be equal to 1/4 cup flour.
By age 10, the amount of calcium in your body would be equal to approximately 3 1/2 cups flour. Why has the amount gone up? The bones are still growing!
By age 15, your body has grown and will grow even more. At this age bones become longer and wider. Your body has twice as much calcium at age 10 so it would be equivalent to about 7 cups flour.
By adulthood, your bones will grow even more. As an adult, you have 44 times more calcium than you had when you were born. The amount of calcium in an adult’s bones would be equivalent to about 11 cups flour.
Osteoporosis can’t be detected until 30 to 40 percent of the bone is lost. You can see how significant this calcium loss is by comparing the calcium in healthy adult bones to the calcium in the bones of an adult with osteoporosis. It would be equal to about 6 1/2 cups flour.

To use as a display, measure the various amounts of flour into large plastic bags and label them accordingly.

COMPLIMENTS OF THE ST. LOUIS DISTRICT DAIRY COUNCIL

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2001 Volunteer Leader Training Guide Bone Up on Osteoporosis

2001 Volunteer Leader Training Guide
Bone Up on Osteoporosis