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- osteoporosis
- Often our lifestyle is to blame
- Good to know
osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is far from just old people. Every third woman over 50 must expect it. The treacherous: The disease often goes unnoticed for a long time.
Imagine having to lift a heavy box in the basement. As always it should be fast, as always you do not think of your back - and it's already happened: A sharp pain shoots you in the back and lame you for days. An ordinary lumbago, you think? Perhaps osteoporosis is behind it: with bone loss even a wrong movement can lead to vertebral fractures. It hurts like hell, but it's much worse. Failure to treat the fracture results in chronic pain, spinal curvature, and respiratory problems.
Often our lifestyle is to blame
A disease that strikes quietly and goes unnoticed for a long time: Osteoporosis is also called the creeping bony thief by doctors. It used to be believed that only old people were affected by it, but now we know that bone loss starts much earlier. Often it is only recognized when it makes problems at a young age. Experts therefore assume that there is a high number of unreported cases of osteoporosis. Officially, around seven million people are affected in this country, of which 80 percent are women. Our bone density is significantly related to the hormones: When the menopause decreases with estrous levels, it decreases rapidly. At 70, women lost an average of 40 percent of their bone mass, compared to just 12 percent of men.
To understand: This is the normal aging process. In osteoporosis, the bones fade faster and become so porous that breaks and adhesions occur. The main causes: an unhealthy lifestyle - especially smoking, obesity, lack of exercise - and heredity. Also, heavy underweight, rigorous diets, extreme sports and eating disorders can lead to osteoporosis. Only in a few cases are medications such as cortisone or certain diseases such as hyperthyroidism, Crohn's disease or diabetes responsible.
Nothing can be done against family stress, but we have our own lifestyle in our own hands.
We can specifically strengthen our bones and thus prevent osteoporosis: especially with a healthy diet. A lot of calcium is the motto, 1000 to 1500 milligrams a day should be.
The mineral is found in dairy products, mineral water, cheese, green vegetables and fruits . On the other hand, sugar, phosphates (eg in meat and sausage, all prepared meals and soft drinks) and fat should be restricted: the more we eat, the worse our body can use calcium.
Enormously important for bone health is also vitamin D, which is difficult to administer from the diet. It is present in small quantities in oily fish, but most of our organism must produce by sunlight. This is why many people have too little vitamin D in their blood, especially in winter. Dietary supplements (eg "Vigantoletten", over the counter, pharmacy) can replenish the memory.
Second central measure for the prevention of bone loss is sport: Like our muscles, the bones need regular exercise, so that the metabolism gets going and provides all cells with sufficient nutrients. The minimum is 30 minutes of walking or cycling every day, ideal are several quick training sessions per week, such as jogging, walking or dancing.
And if the bone density nevertheless decreases rapidly? Do not panic, bone loss can be treated well. In mild cases, an attempt is initially made to stop the bone loss with tablets, the so-called bisphosphonates. An active substance called strontium ranelate, taken daily as a powder, is intended to strengthen the bones again. Recently, an antibody has also been used, currently the most modern form of medication: it blocks the messenger substance in the organism that controls bone resorption. This antibody, also called Rank Ligand Inhibitor, only needs to be injected under the skin twice a year.
Good to know
Whether osteoporosis is present, can only be clarified by a bone density measurement. Two-spectrum X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), which measures lime content in the lumbar vertebrae or femoral neck at very low levels of radiation, provides the most reliable test results. This study is recommended to women over age 45 if any of the following conditions apply: they have had a fractured bone, their parents or grandparents had femoral neck fractures, their body mass index is less than 20. From the age of 70, every woman should get X-rays.
