Bone is always growing and changing. Old bone is continuously broken down and lost through a process called resorption, while new bone is formed to take its place. As we age, bone begins breaking down faster than it is made, resulting in weak, brittle bones and osteoporosis, a condition that affect an estimated 44 million people in the United States, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. While prevention of bone is loss is much easier than regeneration of bone density, some bone can be reformed later in life with the help of proper diet, lifestyle changes and medication.
Make Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle changes are essential to regenerating bone density and preventing further bone loss. Engaging in daily weight-bearing exercise will minimize bone loss and improve your body's ability to regenerate new bone. Regular exercise also strengthens your muscles, thereby improving your balance, providing better support for your bones and preventing falls that may cause fractures. Examples of weight-bearing exercise include step-aerobics, tennis and brisk walking, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, or ACOG.
Quitting smoking and limiting your alcohol consumption are also important. Smoking and drinking excessively interfere with calcium absorption and negatively affect the body's ability to reform bone, notes MayoClinic.com.
Get More Calcium and Vitamin D
You must take in an adequate amount of calcium to replace what your body naturally loses. Otherwise, your body will pull calcium from your bones, causing them to weaken and interfering with other treatments to regenerate bone density, explains the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, or AAOS. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. Sources of calcium include green, leafy vegetables, dairy products, seafood and fortified foods.
Supplementing with zinc, vitamin C or melatonin may also be beneficial. These may help stimulate bone formation, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Speak with your doctor before beginning supplementation with any vitamin, mineral or herb.
Take Medication for Severe Bone Loss
While medication cannot completely restore bone mass, it can improve bone density and greatly decrease your chances of suffering a serious osteoporosis-related fracture. Bisphosphonate medications, such as risedronate or alendronate, can significantly increase bone mass, according to the AAOS, but they must be taken on an empty stomach and may cause significant adverse effects, including esophagitis, ocular inflammation, muscle pain, and hypocalcemia.
Hormone replacement therapy may be beneficial if you are female and are experiencing menopause-related bone loss. Estrogen replacement therapy can prevent bone loss and reduce your risk of fractures. Unfortunately, hormone therapy only helps for as long as you take it. Once you stop, your body rapidly resumes losing bone again, reports the ACOG. Anti-estrogens, such as raloxifene, inhibit bone resorption and increase bone mass, according to the University of Utah, thereby decreasing spinal fracture risk.
Other bone-forming medications, such as parathyroid hormone or calcitonin, are also worth trying. Teriparatide is a type of parathyroid hormone that stimulates new bone formation. Calcitonin is available as an injection and a nasal spray and can slow bone resorption to help regenerate bone density. Calcitonin may also offer some relief from osteoporosis-related pain.
