Globally, 1 in 3 women over 50 and 1 in 5 men over 50 will have a fracture due to osteoporosis or brittle bone disease. Prevention is not as hard as you might think.
- Encourage our teenagers and young adults to reach ‘peak bone mass’ by having enough calcium as their skeletons grow
- Do load bearing exercise (anything which requires your body to carry its own weight – not swimming)
- Eat enough foods which are calcium rich so your body doesn’t have to use the calcium stored in your bones for its needs – low fat dairy foods, canned fish with the bones in, nuts (especially Brazil nuts and almonds), some vegetables (especially broccoli, kale and bok choy), some fruits (especially oranges, apricots and dried figs), and food fortified with calcium
- Wear sensible shoes – avoid sloppy slippers.
- Maintain a healthy weight (under and overnutrition can be an issue)
- Make sure you are getting enough vitamin D
To find out if you are eating enough calcium rich food use a free calculator like Explore Food