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Osteoporosis is no longer a worry just for womenBy Lisa Mosing, MS, RD, FADA, LifeScript Director of Nutrition
Osteoporosis is no longer a worry just for women. Older men are at risk for developing this bone disease as well. And studies show that most of us lack the calcium, vitamin D and other bone builders we need to ward off the condition or to slow its progress. Those of us anxious to drop a few pounds also face an additional complication: Losing weight – particularly in the absence of exercise – can lessen bone density. But do fragile bones have to be your fate?
How healthy are your bones? Osteoporosis, which literally means “porous bones,” affects 28 million Americans and leads to more than 1.5 million bone fractures each year. The condition, which stems from a combination of genetic, dietary, age-related, hormonal, and lifestyle factors, results in fragile bones that are extremely susceptible to breakage.
Unfortunately, for those who don’t take preventive measures, it’s hard to know what kind of state your skeleton is in until some kind of damage has already occurred. A reduction in height or a fracture to the hip or wrist may be the first sign of osteoporosis.
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