Do you drink at least 3 cups of milk every single day? Do you eat plenty of cheese, yogurt, fresh fruits, fish, and leafy vegetables? If NO, you should definitely check this site out! If YES, good for you! Wanna know why? Read along…

Why should a teen just like you worry about osteoporosis?      Teens don't usually worry about osteoporosis; in fact, around 49 % of teenagers have never even heard about this serious bone-thinning disease. Unfortunately, the reality is that one out of two women will have an osteoporosis - related fracture in her lifetime and 10 million people in the USA presently suffer from the disease.      Research shows that osteoporosis prevention "must begin from the first day of life" because childhood and teenage years are the best time to build up one's bone mass to the maximum strength and density. So, what should YOU as a teen girl do to prevent osteoporosis? STEP # 1      The first and most important step in the prevention of osteoporosis is calcium consumption. Research indicates that although bone mass may build up to about the age of thirty, 40 % of the body's total skeletal mass is formed during teen years. Therefore, teens should emphasize on eating lots of calcium-rich foods because calcium is the mineral responsible for bone formation!      According to the National Academy of Sciences, the recommended calcium intake for girls between the age of 9 and 18 is 1300 mg/day, for women of age 19-50 - 1000 mg calcium/day, and for women after the menopause - 1200 mg/day.      The top ten calcium-rich foods are: plain, non fat yogurt, 8 oz (452 mg) orange juice or grapefruit juice, fortified with calcium, 1 cup (300-400 mg) milk, low fat or skim, 1 cup (300 mg) fruit flavored yogurt, 8 oz (314 mg) tofu, 1/2 cup firm (258 mg) cheddar cheese, lower fat, 1 oz (200 mg) canned salmon with bones, 3 oz (181 mg) parmesan cheese, grated, 2 tbls (138 mg) cottage cheese, low fat, 1/2 cup (69-100 mg) broccoli, boiled, 1 cup (72 mg)      Unfortunately, "the majority of American teens are falling short of daily calcium requirements, and teen girls are putting themselves at particularly high risk. " The Teenage Research Unlimited reports that eight out of ten girls get only 800 of the 1300 mg of calcium required every day because most teens are worried about gaining weight from the fat-rich dairy products. STEP # 2      The second most important thing you should do in order to prevent osteoporosis is to get enough vitamin D - the vitamin that helps your body absorb and retain calcium. The recommended daily intake is 200 IU and the top vitamin D-rich foods are: fortified milk, 8 oz (100 IU) ready-to-eat cereals (40-100 IU) egg (25 IU) evaporated milk, 2 tbls (24 IU) egg substitutes, ¼ cup (22 IU) margarine, 1 tsp (20 IU) salmon with bones, 3 oz (10 IU) dietary supplement      Luckily, if you stay under the sunlight for 15 minutes or more, you don't need to worry about getting the recommended amount of vitamin D because this vitamin is synthesized in the skin through exposure to the sunrays! STEP # 3      Another thing you need to do is EXERCISE! Bone is a living tissue that becomes stronger when you do weight-bearing exercises that make you work against the force of gravity. Weight-bearing exercises include hiking, running, walking, weight training, tennis, dancing, and stair climbing. You don't need to spend a whole lot of time in the health center: 20 minutes three times a week is enough! STEP # 4      If you are currently smoking, STOP! Smoking is bad for your bones because women-smokers absorb less calcium from their diets and they also go through menopause earlier than nonsmokers.      As you can see, prevention of osteoporosis does not require that much of an effort! Simply follow the 4 steps: get enough calcium and vitamin D, exercise, and don't smoke cigarettes and you will be at low risk of developing the bone-thinning disease! What is in fact osteoporosis?      Osteoporosis, also called 'porous bone', is a disease characterized by low bone mass due to excessive bone loss or too little bone formation. Although most people believe that bones stop growing once a man or a woman has reached physical maturity, the reality is that bone is a dynamic tissue that is constantly building up and breaking down in the human body. During childhood and teenage years, new bone is formed faster than old bone is removed; as a result, bones increase in size, density, and weight. Around the age of thirty, the maximum bone density and strength is reached and as people become older, the breakdown of bones begins to exceed bone formation. If bone removal takes place too rapidly or if bone formation occurs too slowly, a person develops osteoporosis. What are the consequences of osteoporosis?      Osteoporosis is a serious disease that most commonly causes fractures in the hip, vertebral, and wrist areas. It is called the 'silent thief' because bone loss occurs without symptoms. A woman might actually never notice that she has osteoporosis until a sudden fall, bump, or even a strong handshake or sneeze causes a fracture or a vertebral collapse. Who gets osteoporosis?      Although osteoporosis can strike people of all ages and races, there is a number of risk factors that can increase a person's chance of developing osteoporosis. Risk factors include: Age - older people are at greater risk of osteoporosis because their bones are weaker and more fragile Gender - being a female puts you into greater chance of developing osteoporosis for two reasons; first, women have less bone tissue than men do and second, when women reach menopause, the amount of estrogen in their bodies ( a sex hormone that protects bone tissue) significantly drops Body frame - people with small bones and thin body structure are more likely to develop osteoporosis Ethnicity - Asian and Caucasian people are at greatest risk, Latino and African American have lower, but still substantial, risk of osteoporosis Family history of osteoporosis Inactive lifestyle and lack of exercise A diet low in calcium, the mineral responsible for the formation and maintenance of bone tissue, and vitamin D, important for calcium absorption Cigarette smoking Excessive alcohol abuse Irregularity of sex hormones: lack of menstrual period or low estrogen level (menopause) Eating disorders: anorexia or bulimia Use of certain medications: corticosteroids, anticonvulsants, aluminum containing antacids, anticoagulants, cholesterol lowering agents, excessive thyroid hormone What can a woman do if she develops osteoporosis?      The most common therapy for women entering the menopause and suffering from osteoporosis is ERT (estrogen replacement therapy). ERT replaces the estrogen that the ovaries used to produce prior to menopause and makes up for the sex hormone's crucial ability to protect bone tissue.      Other treatments of osteoporosis include the medications calcitonin, alendronate, raloxifene, and risedronate. Some statistics… 80 % of those affected by osteoporosis are women. 1 out of 2 women and 1 out of 8 men over the age of 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. 86% of women age 50 do not think that they will develop osteoporosis. 10 % of African-American women over the age of 50 have osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures each year:        300,000 hip fractures        700,000 vertebral fractures        250,000 wrist fractures        300,000 other fractures The national cost for osteoporosis-related fractures every day is 38 million dollars. Resources Researched and Written by Marina Miteva

 

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