You may have heard the term "bone mass" in regard to osteoporosis. It is important to maintain as much bone mass as you can to prevent fractures and the complications that can accompany them. You can do a lot early on and in your advanced years to maintain or improve your bone mass. The first step is understanding what bone mass is and what you need to do to stop it from getting too low.
Identification
Bone mass sometimes is referred to as bone density, a term used to describe the strength of your bones. This is determined by the amount of calcium and phosphorus that a specific bone contains. It is important to have a high bone density as this lowers your risk of fracture. Once you start losing bone mass, your bones become frail. When this happens, you can break a bone during a fall, by sneezing or coughing too hard or even twisting or bending the wrong way. Bones are living and changing structures. Throughout your life, your bones are in a constant state of repair. Cells called osteoclasts break down old bone, and cells called osteoblasts put new bone down in their place. If the activity of these two types of cells is equal, you maintain bone mass. If the osteoclasts are more active, your bones will break down faster than they are rebuilt. This happens naturally with age, but having too low of a bone mass as you age is not inevitable.
Considerations
As early as age 20, you can start losing bone mass, says the National Institutes of Health's Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases unit, which warns that it is important to make sure children and teens get plenty of calcium, vitamin D and exercise to help build enough bone mass. Osteoporosis and other bone-related problems can occur as early as your teens and early adulthood if peak bone mass is not reached during the growth phase. The good news is that healthy lifestyle choices can stop your bone loss from getting severe.
Prevention/Solution
To help maintain a healthy bone mass, you need to get enough calcium. You also need Vitamin D so your body can use the calcium you eat. If you eat a well-balanced diet and eat a variety of foods, you should be able to get adequate levels of calcium and vitamin D. Avoiding tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption is also necessary as they can rob you of bone mass. Certain medications such as steroids and chemotherapy can also speed bone loss. The American Dietetic Association recommends eating plenty of dairy products, almonds, dark-green leafy vegetables and calcium-fortified foods to help maintain good bone mass. The amount of calcium and vitamin D you need depends on your age and general state of health. Weight-bearing exercises such as walking and dancing stimulate your bones to grow, so you need to try to fit in these types of activities on as many days of the week as you can.
Warning
If your bone mass gets too low, you may develop osteoporosis. This condition can lead to fractures, postural changes, loss of height, back pain and a loss of independence. Both men and women can get osteoporosis. This condition can lead to a "dowager's hump," or rounded upper back. If this curvature becomes severe, it can compress your lungs and make breathing difficult. The good news is that osteoporosis can be detected early on through a simple test that is similar to an X-ray. Because this condition can be detected in its early stages, you can make lifestyle changes such as eating healthy and participating in weight-bearing exercise to help avoid complications.
Significance
You can have a low bone mass or osteoporosis without ever having any symptoms. Sometimes your first warning is a broken hip. This is why it is so important to get tested if you are at risk. Getting tested involves having a bone mineral density or BMD test. This quick and painless test tells you and your doctor what your bone mass is. The results are given in "T" scores and "Z" scores. The "T" score is the most common measurement used. Normal bone mass registers as a reading of -1 or higher, such as 1 or 1.5. Once your reading drops below -1, you are considered to have low bone mass. The earlier this is caught, the easier it is to reverse and treat. If your bone loss is severe, you may need medications to help rebuild your bones.
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