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How good is your bone health?

Release Date: 04/04/2023

Women Positively Ageing

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How good is your bone health?

Women Positively Ageing

As we age from mid-life we lose muscle mass and our bone strength gradually declines. Keeping our bone health for as long as possible is important to prevent us from becoming frail. What does ‘bone health’ mean? ● Bone health is about keeping your bones healthy for life, so you can live well for longer. ● Good bone health can prevent fractures and the health consequences of this - pain, disability, loss of independence, poor quality of life. How do we maintain good bone health as we age? Is it...

Heart health and menopause

Women Positively Ageing

Heart disease tends to be considered a man’s problem and high blood pressure, cholesterol, stress and too much drinking and smoking are common problems for men. The reality is that the risk of coronary heart disease increases for women after menopause. The good news is that there are changes that we can make in our daily lives that can reduce the risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke. We’ll hear about how changes to the diet can help reduce cholesterol levels, disease risk and manage other menopausal symptoms. Join me in this episode to hear from our researcher Dr Laura...

How to protect your brain health

Women Positively Ageing

Brief summary of episode: The brain is a complex organ that controls our movement, our emotions and stores our precious memories. When we talk about brain health, there are a few definitions and the one I have chosen is from World Health Organisation (WHO) due to its inclusive language. “Brain health is the state of brain functioning across cognitive, sensory, social-emotional, behavioural and motor domains, allowing a person to realize their full potential over the life course, irrespective of the presence or absence of disorders.” How do we...

Social Isolation and Loneliness

Women Positively Ageing

Brief summary of episode: The topic today is social isolation and loneliness and you may have heard this well known quote about the impact on our health. “research by Prof Julianne Holt-Lundstat about the impact of social connection on health outcomes indicates that a lack of social connection is comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes per day” We may be living longer lives than our parents, but social isolation and loneliness shortens our healthspan, the number of healthy years of our lives. In this episode we’ll talk about the risk that loneliness poses to...

How to deal with belly fat

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Brief summary of episode: Belly fat, middle-aged spread, apple-shape, central adiposity.... Call it what you will, as we age it seems to creep up on us. Over 43% of menopausal women have obesity and in today’s show I discuss with nutritionist, researcher and inventor of the Shape Chart Dr Margaret Ashwell OBE about why having fat around your middle has different consequences to having it elsewhere. Margaret has spent several years researching weight gain and fat and she will tell us about apple and pear shapes, and which is a better predictor of health risk. We...

Move More, Age Well

Women Positively Ageing

Brief summary of episode: The average healthspan, the number of years that people spend healthy in the UK is about 10 years shorter than the average lifespan. Increasing the number of years that we spend in good health is a priority not just for us as individuals but for our wider society. Health is determined by a range of different things in our environment and physical activity is just one of those. As we age our muscle mass and strength decreases and our body fat increases. Physical activity, particularly strengthening exercises are recommended to maintain fitness. There are added benefits...

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As we age from mid-life we lose muscle mass and our bone strength gradually declines. Keeping our bone health for as long as possible is important to prevent us from becoming frail.

What does ‘bone health’ mean?

● Bone health is about keeping your bones healthy for life, so you can live well for longer.

● Good bone health can prevent fractures and the health consequences of this - pain, disability, loss of independence, poor quality of life.

How do we maintain good bone health as we age? Is it possible for us to reduce the risk of damage and fractures? To answers these questions and share advice and experiences, I have invited Tanya Grenade and Aliya Porter.

Tanya is a freelance Associate Nutritionist specialising in science communication and bone health and a volunteer with the Royal Osteoporosis Society.

Aliya is a freelance Registered Nutritionist who has a family history of osteoporosis, a debilitating health condition that weakens the bones and causes them to break. She works with clients of all ages to improve their nutrition without breaking the bank or chaining them to the kitchen!

Good bone health throughout life with these 4 steps:

Prevention

Prevention of poor bone health by looking after your bones from a young age is best. During childhood and teens is the time to build your bone strength as at around early to late 20’s your bones will be the strongest they will be (Peak bone mass)

Lifestyle changes

Nutrition and physical activity. Around 35-40 your bone strength gradually declines due to age. As more bone is being lost than made. So at this stage in your life you want to maintain your bone health nutrition and physical activity is a great way to do this.

Early intervention

Being aware of any signs and symptoms or changes in your body. May not notice any symptoms till you get a fracture. But some symptoms are loss of height (this can also happen after pregnancy - pregnancy related osteoporosis), curved back (kyphosis), back pain.

Timely treatment

If you do have a problem with your bone health. Getting the right treatment quickly can help to look after your bones. DEXA scan, UK- Fracture liaison Clinic (FLS) where available as there isn’t 100% coverage.

Aliya's story

Her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother have each had a history of broken bones and long-term pain. She shares with us the range of treatment that they received and the varying outcomes, stressing the importance of presenting early to the doctor with the symptoms and ensuring that intervention starts quickly.

She is now in a position to use her family history to help inform her own treatment. She currently has strategies in place to manage her bone health to stay in good condition for as long as she can.

Key take home messages

Genetics plays a huge role in our bone health yet there are things that we can do to reduce the risk of poor bone health as we age.

These include acting quickly when we experience changes and increased pain. Note down this information and inform a doctor.

Be persistent, especially if you have a family history of poor bone health. An early scan and medical intervention is key to a good outcome.

Diet and exercise has an impact on bone health. Resistance/weight bearing exercises and a diet that contains a diverse range of foods including fruits and vegetables, sources of calcium for example dairy foods and products fortified with calcium are helpful.

Further Resources:

General information about Osteoporosis

Royal Osteoporosis Society website

UK’s largest national charity dedicated to improving bone health and beating osteoporosis

https://theros.org.uk/

Free Royal Osteoporosis Society Helpline

You can call the nurses and they will give you advice on bone health and osteoporosis. They are very knowledgeable and friendly.

https://theros.org.uk/information-and-support/free-osteoporosis-helpline/

Check your risk of Osteoporosis

Bone Health Checker: to check your risk of osteoporosis

Answer some questions and a few minutes later find out your risk of osteoporosis

https://theros.org.uk/risk-checker/?campaign=77a866ee-c708-ed11-82e5-0022481b5a28