Women's Heath: Developing Strong Bones

No bones about it, we women need to pay a little more attention to what is inside rather than what is outside. While skin is important, bones provide the structure of our bodies. Did you know that up to 90 percent of peak bone mass is acquired by age 18 in girls? Osteoporsis is the most common bone disease. Nowadays, everyone knows someone who has it. The effects often begin showing up during menopause, and affect nearly half of all women after age 50! HALF?! So what's the good news? It's largely preventable for most people!

Here are a few things you can do to insure bone health:

Maintain a diet rich in calcium (Shoot for 1500 mg/day from a combination of food and supplements) and vitamin D (Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium).

Add weight bearing physical activity to your daily exercise routine (If you don't currently exercise, speak with your doctor about exercising and modifications to exercise to prevent fractures and broken bones.)

Quit smoking (studies of twins have shown that long-term smoking increases fracture risk by more than 40%)

Limit alcohol consumption

Reduce caffeine intake

Develop strong body awareness and balance to prevent falls

Talk openly with your doctor about osteoporosis and when recommended, get annual bone density scans