What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a disease where it makes the bones a lot more brittle than its normal structure, leading to higher chances of bone fracture. Even a little bump or fall could cause a catastrophe. Osteoporosis is when the bone loses its minerals such as calcium, more quickly than the body can actually replace them, which give it an unstable balance of calcium and other minerals.
Any bone can be affected by osteoporosis, but osteoporosis is more commonly found in the hip, spine and the wrist. If there are any fractures in the spine due to osteoporosis, this could result in major height loss or unusual changes in posture. Osteoporosis is a major factor that we all should be much more aware of, and find more efficient ways to prevent Osteoporosis. |
This figure compares a normal healthy bone with a bone with Osteoporosis.
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What causes Osteoporosis?
Lack of Calcium
Lack of calcium intake is a major factor, as many people do not consume their recommended amount of calcium, leading to osteoporosis. Calcium is crucial to bones as it's needed to build bone structure and strengthens bones. We also need to consume a certain amount of calcium to keep communication between the brain and various parts of the body healthy.
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Lack of Vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential for the body, as it's an absorbent of Calcium and Phosphorous. Vitamin D also plays a role in reducing your risk of multiple sclerosis, decreasing your chance of developing heart disease and helps reduce your likelihood of developing the flu. It's crucial for bones as Vitamin D absorbs calcium that is used for bone strengthening and building.
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Family History
Medical History
Medical history and certain conditions and medications can have a huge impact on your bone health. Some include corticosteroids, low hormone levels, thyroid conditions, malabsorption, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic liver, kidney disease. And some medicines for breast cancer, prostate cancer, epilepsy and some antidepressants.
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Hormonal Imbalances
Several hormones play a huge factor in regulating bone density/mass, this includes the parathyroid hormone and growth hormone. The parathyroid Hormone is located on the back of the thyroid gland in your throat. When blood calcium levels drop, the parathyroid gland secretes parathyroid hormones. These hormones work to raise blood calcium levels by stimulating osteoclasts to break down bone and release calcium into the bloodstream.
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Lack of Physical Activity
Lack of physical activity can lead to excessively weak bones. Like muscle, bone is a living tissue that responds to exercise by becoming stronger. Younger women and men who exercise regularly generally achieve greater peak bone density/mass than those who don't. For most of the population, bone mass peaks during the third decade of life. After that time, bone density is slowly decreasing. Meaning that we start losing bone. That's why exercise contributes to decreasing the chances of getting osteoporosis.
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Lifestyle Factors
Prevention of Osteoporosis
Calcium Diet & Supplements
The best way to have a healthy rich calcium intake is via your diet. Eat necessary foods that contain rich amounts of calcium. Calcium content in food varies alot, so it's very important to have a calcium rich diet. It is recommended to have at least 3-5 serves of calcium-rich food a day.
An alternative to this is taking any supplements or tablets that contain high traces of calcium. If you would rather a instant boost over a healthy calcium diet. Please take this method instead, but it's highly recommended to go with the diet as Calcium tablets are only for priority needs. |
Regular Excercise
Maintaining a healthy and regular exercise routine is essential. This will ensure a healthy bone structure. There are specific types of bone exercises for maintaining healthy bones.
Weight-bearing exercises (exercise done whilst on your feet so you handle your own weight.) Progressive Resistance Training (An exercise that progressively increases in difficulty over-time.) You can also maintain healthy bone structure by just having a non-pressure run, or jog around your local neighborhood/block. Doing that on a regular basis will strengthen your bones easily, |
Vitamin D
The required amount of sun exposure needed to make Vitamin D is low. However many Australians do not meet the average requirement anyway, espiecially during winter. Sun exposure is mainly based on the current season, location in Australia, skin type and the area of the skin that is exposed.
You can fix this by exposing yourself to pure natural sunlight. But do be cautious as this could affect your skins with burns and other sorts of conditions. But an alternative to this is to take Vitamin D supplements. This is still giving you Vitamin D, but the natural way is recommended. |
Osteoporosis Australia
Osteoporosis Australia is a national not-for-profit organisation responsible for providing osteoporosis information and services to the community and health professionals.
Osteoporosis Australia aims to improve awareness about the disease in the Australian community and reduce fractures. Osteoporosis Australia focuses on the following key objectives:
Osteoporosis Australia aims to improve awareness about the disease in the Australian community and reduce fractures. Osteoporosis Australia focuses on the following key objectives:
- Increase awareness throughout Australia and promote better management of osteoporosis
- Encourage prevention
- Improve GP and other health professionals understanding of osteoporosis
- Act as an effective lobby voice in federal Government
- Fund bone-related research
Better Health Channel
The Better Health Channel (BHC) provides health and medical information that is quality assured, reliable, up to date, easy to understand, regularly reviewed and locally relevant. BHC does not have any advertising or sponsorship and is fully funded by the State Government of Victoria (Australia).
The Better Health Channel provides health and medical information to help individuals and their communities improve their health and wellbeing. The information we provide is:
Information on the Better Health Channel is provided to help people stay healthy or understand and manage their health and medical conditions. It does not replace care provided by medical practitioners and other qualified health professionals.
The Better Health Channel was established in May 1999 by the Victorian (Australia) State Government. The site does not have any commercial advertising and we do not accept any corporate sponsorship.
The Better Health Channel provides health and medical information to help individuals and their communities improve their health and wellbeing. The information we provide is:
- Quality assured and reliable
- Up to date
- Easy to understand.
Information on the Better Health Channel is provided to help people stay healthy or understand and manage their health and medical conditions. It does not replace care provided by medical practitioners and other qualified health professionals.
The Better Health Channel was established in May 1999 by the Victorian (Australia) State Government. The site does not have any commercial advertising and we do not accept any corporate sponsorship.
Nutrition Australia
Nutrition Australia is a non-government, non-profit, community-based organisation with offices throughout Australia. Nutrition Australia is an independent, member organisation that aims to promote the health and wellbeing of all Australians.
The Australian Nutrition Foundation Inc was founded in 1979, became incorporated in 1981, and commenced trading as Nutrition Australia in 2001. Nutrition Australia continues the work of the Australian Nutrition Foundation (ANF) as Australia's peak community nutrition education body, to provide scientifically based nutrition information to encourage all Australians to achieve optimal health through food variety and physical activity.
Members of Nutrition Australia include the general public and some of Australia's most influential food and nutrition experts, together making Nutrition Australia a key nutrition voice in Australia today.
The Australian Nutrition Foundation Inc was founded in 1979, became incorporated in 1981, and commenced trading as Nutrition Australia in 2001. Nutrition Australia continues the work of the Australian Nutrition Foundation (ANF) as Australia's peak community nutrition education body, to provide scientifically based nutrition information to encourage all Australians to achieve optimal health through food variety and physical activity.
Members of Nutrition Australia include the general public and some of Australia's most influential food and nutrition experts, together making Nutrition Australia a key nutrition voice in Australia today.
Garvin Institute Of Medical Research
Garvan's mission is to make significant contributions to medical research that will change the directions of science and medicine and have major impacts on human health. Garvan strives to enhance and develop research programs that combine fundamental science with strong clinical interactions.
Research at Garvan is focused upon understanding the role of genes and molecular and cellular processes in health and disease as the basis for developing future preventions, treatments and cures.
For over 50 years, significant breakthroughs have been achieved by Garvan scientists in the understanding and treatment of diseases such as:
Garvan's ultimate goal is prevention, treatment or cure of these major diseases.
Research at Garvan is focused upon understanding the role of genes and molecular and cellular processes in health and disease as the basis for developing future preventions, treatments and cures.
For over 50 years, significant breakthroughs have been achieved by Garvan scientists in the understanding and treatment of diseases such as:
- Cancer
- Diabetes and obesity
- Neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, hearing loss, mental illnesses and eating disorders
- Osteoporosis
- Immunological diseases such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and Sjogren’s syndrome
Garvan's ultimate goal is prevention, treatment or cure of these major diseases.
Osteoporosis Sydney Support Group
The group is a registered charity which functions on the generosity of individual donors, pharmaceutical companies and charitable organizations. The group receives no government funding.
Today, the group members number in excess of 600 men and women, all of whom are Osteoporosis sufferers, and membership continues to grow steadily.
10 years ago the Department of Endocrinology at St George Hospital, formed the Osteoporosis Sydney Support Group, a non-profit organization, under the auspices of Endocrinologist and Bone Mineral Specialist Professor Terry Diamond.
Professor Diamond felt there was a need for Osteoporosis sufferers to learn more about the disease and how to manage this debilitating condition.
Contributions are made by volunteers and staff:
The volunteer workers and staff contribute to the total overall running of the group by attending all activities and organizing functions.
The Committee, which is voluntary, give freely of their time in the planning of establishing programmes that will be of benefit to the community.
Our Physiotherapists work together with Dr Diamond to implement exercise programmes put forward by the committee. These programmes are directed towards the community to assist them to cope with Osteoporosis.
Qualified medical staff perform ongoing research into Metabolic Bone Disease and Osteoporosis.