Doom I Senior Living

Healthy
Habits

VIP

•4

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1141111,

01

E

Prevent slow,

osteoporosis-related

bone loss:

Drink your milk!

Eat your spinach!

Go play in the sun!

S. E. Barber { Contributing Writer

26 BOOM Magazine • February 2014

A

s it turns out, Mom was right when it comes to building our bones. The living tissue
that writer Natalie Angier described in the New York Times as "... a masterpiece of elas-
tic strength ... woven together in a complex cat's cradle of interdigitating (interlocking)
layers ..." is constantly being rebuilt throughout our lives. Except peak bone mass is achieved in
the early 30s — and loss outpaces replacement from then on. Osteoporosis, the severe form of
bone degradation that often comes with aging, is, according to Angier, a major medical crisis.
Crisis, indeed. The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that 10 million Americans
over 50 are afflicted. By age 75, 80 percent of women have the disease.
Just what is osteoporosis and why is it so prevalent?
Osteoporosis — the word means "porous bone" — is characterized by thinning, brittle bones,
making us susceptible to fractures. With no symptoms, an actual broken hip, spine or wrist is
often the first indication of a problem.
Hip breaks are the most serious, typically require surgery and can result in reduced quality
of life. Compression fractures of the spine involve vertebrae that collapse like a flattened paper
cup. These can be triggered by something as simple as a sneeze, possibly leading to stooped
posture and chronic pain. In total, Harvard Health Publications indicates Americans experience
1.5 million osteoporosis-related fractures annually, costing more than $19 billion.
While osteoporosis can develop at any age and both men and women are susceptible,
postmenopausal women of European and Asian ancestry with a family history are most at risk.