+Your health
Kick off the new year with a strong start – one you can feel in your bones!
Osteoporosis, also known as weak bone disease, can affect anyone of any age.
But luckily, it can be reversed, and the risks can easily be reduced, too.
Beating bone disease
Over three million people in the UK have osteoporosis, but there are no symptoms until you fracture or break abone. Dr Taher Mahmud, consultant rheumatologist at the London Osteoporosis Centre has shared his lesser-known tips to strengthen your bones and keep osteoporosis at bay.
• For more, visit: londonosteoporosisclinic.com
We’ve all heard of making sure we get enough calcium and vitamin D for strong bones, but there are a few lesser-known foods you can chew on, too. For a calcium boost, try introducing sardines with bones, canned salmon, collard greens and tofu into your diet.
And for your vitamin Dfix, try eating fatty fish like mackerel, eggs (especially the yolk) and fortified cereals regularly.
Exercising for two and ahalf hours aweek is recommended to boost bone strength, but you don't have to lift weights to do this. In fact, low impact exercises which use your own body weight, like Pilates and yoga, can strengthen your bones just as well.
Osteoporosis can be linked to different medications, such as those used to treat epilepsy, asthma and bowel diseases.
However, your doctor will be able to adjust your dosage if you are at risk.
Get tested
If you’re worried that you could be at risk of developing osteoporosis due to having ahistory of bone fractures, or if bone fractures are common in your family, there is one way to check.
The DEXA test – meaning dualenergy X-ray absorptiometry – is a crucial tool used in hospitals for measuring bone density.
It’s aquick and painless scan, usually taking between 10 and 20 minutes, in which aradiographer will take X-ray images of your bones.
Alarge scanning arm will slowly move over your body to measure the bone density in the centre of your skeleton, too.
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