Building Bone Health as You Age

Good bone health matters at any age we are in. Our skeleton holds our body's calcium as it is needed for our muscles, bones and nerves to work properly. Calcium helps build strong bones in the body. Getting calcium means including certain foods in our diet. A lack of calcium in the diet means our bodies pull out calcium from our bones to maintain their functions. As a result our bones lose strength over the years. A loss of bone strength can result in osteoporosis which causes bones to become very brittle and more likely to break.

Most older adults with osteoporosis can easily break bones in their wrist hip and spine. Fractures like these may severely decrease a person's ability to move freely and independently. There are plenty of ways we can look after our bones at every stage of life. Bone size and strength reach their maximum value at what we call peak bone mass. How much peak bone we have is largely controlled by our genes. Genes for example play a big role in the size and shape of a person's skeleton.

Healthy Bones at Every Age

Genes mostly control how much bone mass our bodies develop, but what we eat and how much we move can affect this.

We only have a set period where we can impact our peak bone mass. Bone density is best developed during the years when you are rapidly growing. We build up our maximum bone density more than usual during childhood adolescence and early adulthood by following a healthy diet and doing exercise. To no surprise we may also choose lifestyle options that lower our peak bone mass including smoking, diets low in nutrients sedentary routines and heavy alcohol usage.

Your peak bone mass is usually reached between the ages of 25 and 30. Losse of bone mass starts to gradually occur after we reach 40. Yet we have the ability to help slow down major bone loss over the passage of time. For many, our bones can be protected from losing too much tissue if we exercise and eat healthy most of the time. Those who gain maximum bone density while growing tend to avoid the bone disease and fractures that naturally occur as people grow older.

Peak Bone Mass

A small number of people may lose more bone tissue and develop osteoporosis due to issues with the way bone is continuously replaced. Healthy foods and exercise are good, but bone loss will still happen at a quicker rate. It is encouraging that new treatments for metabolic problems are now available. Even in severe cases new medication can help the bones regain a healthy amount. Men also have a greater peak bone mass than women. Growing men gain skeletal muscle mass at a greater rate and their bones are thicker than women's.

Thesmall bones, thin cortex and smaller diameter found in women make them more likely to develop osteoporosis. Men have stronger bones during their youths, but this does not guarantee safety from osteoporosis after 70, since the risk of bone loss and breaks becomes much greater. Throughout life we have ways to help keep our bones healthy. Being sure we consume enough calcium and Vitamin D is crucial. The Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) advice at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies on recommended daily amounts of calcium and Vitamin D for various ages is described below.

Bone Health at Every Stage

Not everyone will need the same amount of these supplements. As an example, if you live in a sunless area, have dark skin or are obese, you might need to take more Vitamin D than recommended. It is generally safe for people over age 9 to get a maximum of 4000 International Units (IU) of vitamin D daily but ask your doctor what is right for you. Too much calcium and Vitamin D may actually harm a baby or child so make sure it does not exceed the recommended doses. Calcium helps babies and children grow healthy bones and teeth.

To absorb the calcium we eat, we must also have enough Vitamin D, so both become necessary. A Vitamin D deficiency in young kids can cause rickets which results in weak bones, bowed legs and various problems with the skeleton. First year. The FNB says that babies aged birth to 6 months must take in 200 mg of calcium daily and for those aged 7 to 12 months, they need 260 mg. In the first year your baby's nutrition is good whether they drink breast feed or infant formula. FNB suggests giving infants from birth to 12 months no more than 400 IU Vitamin D per day.

Conclusion

Vitamin D in breast milk and infant formula is usually not given in a large enough quantity. Now, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests giving children under a year old Vitamin D drops unless they are drinking 32 oz. of infant formula a day. After a child turns 2, you can give lowfat or skim milk as a drink. Since most foods do not offer much Vitamin D, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that children at all ages including infants should take Vitamin D supplements. Children between 4 and 8 years can use this curriculum.

Everyone from one to seventy years of age should have between 600 and 1,600 IU of Vitamin D per day, according to the FNB. According to new research, children age five and up should be getting at least 1000 IU of vitamin D every day for healthy bones. The best way to give your child 1000 IU of Vitamin D daily is to have them use a Vitamin D supplement. Puberty. The growth of the bones and hitting peak bone mass happens during the time of puberty. Half of all the calcium women store in their bodies and approximately 2/3 in men is built up during puberty.

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