Osteoporosis is a childhood disease with old age consequences, so the time to invest in bone health is now, not later!

Mark Twain famously said: “I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.” When it comes to Osteoporosis, that doesn’t hold true for around 6 million South Africans. So when should we start worrying about our bone health? The earlier the better!

Bone health begins in childhood

The best time to invest in bone health is during childhood and adolescence. Osteoporosis has been called a childhood disease with old age consequences. That’s because building healthy bones in youth helps prevent osteoporosis and fractures later in life. If you have a lower bone mass to start off with, any bone loss that occurs as you get older drops you down to a far more dangerous level compared to someone else who has a higher starting point.

With kids, this is still relatively easy – they are a lot more open to persuasion and you have a lot more say over what they do and don’t do at home. Teenagers are trickier, so it’s important to educate and better yet, indoctrinate them, about the benefits of keeping their bones fit and healthy from an early age.

Already an adult? Don’t give up on your bones!

For those of us who are no longer teenagers, you’re probably wondering whether you should throw in the towel right now and wait for your first fracture to happen? Banish the thought!! It’s never too late to adopt new habits for healthy bones.

Support your healthy calcium balance

As important as it is to make sure you get in enough calcium, it’s just as important to make sure that that calcium is absorbed properly. There are certain things that increase how much calcium is taken up by your bones, and certain things that stand in its way.

Vitamin D

Calcium can only be absorbed when vitamin D is around. Keep that in mind when upping your calcium intake.

Salt intake

Of all the dietary dangers to bone, salt is perhaps the worst. Mostly because it’s everywhere! Having a salty tooth can pose a great obstacle to a sturdy skeleton – studies show that postmenopausal women with a high-salt diet lose more bone minerals than other women of the same age.

Fizzy drinks

Many fizzy drinks contain phosphoric acid, which can increase calcium excretion in your urine. In addition, nearly all soft drinks lack calcium. That double whammy combination spells trouble for anyone at risk of osteoporosis. If you needed another reason to cut back on your fizzy drink habit, do it for your bones sake!

Caffeine

Finally, it’s important to drink your daily fix of caffeine in moderation. Caffeine can leach calcium from your bones, but provided your daily supplement and intake of calcium is sufficient, it doesn’t mean you have to give up your coffee altogether.

Exercise

What about those who already have osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is certainly not an excuse to sit on your couch sipping tea for fear of breaking a hip. Being active is as effective at managing osteoporosis as some medications. Exercise also has the added bonus of strengthening up the rest of you. It improves your balance and relieves any joint pain, which also ultimately means you’ll be less likely to fall in the first place!

A note from Vital’s Experts:

Vital Calcium Ultra Bone Support and Vital Calcium Complex contain calcium, vitamin D and other key nutrients that are specifically selected to support and build strong bones and to assist in the prevention of osteoporosis.