Osteoporosis is often perceived as a mid-life illness, but some researchers say today's young women are putting themselves at grave risk. Scientists fear today's young are so preoccupied with being thin that they are depriving themselves of the calcium-rich foods they need to build and preserve strong bones and to reduce the risk of osteoporosis when they grow older. Recently, a study cautioned teen and adolescent females against consuming too much soda and not enough milk to decrease their potential for osteoporosis.When you are young, bones grow in length and density. Bones reach their maximum lengths during the teen years, but they continue to grow denser until about 30 years of age. Bone density is affected by heredity, diet, sex hormones, physical activity, lifestyle choices and the use of certain medications. After age 30, bones slowly start to lose density and strength. At the onset of menopause, women begin to lose bone mass at an accelerated rate as their estrogen levels fall, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis. They can lose up to 20 percent of their bone mass in the five to seven years following menopause. Most people do not know the risk factors involved with osteoporosis and are unaware they have it until they suffer a fracture – usually in the hip, spine or wrist.
Prevention is necessary at all ages. Beginning your regimen when menopause hits may not be enough to prevent osteoporosis; some women also require estrogen replacement therapy or other osteoporosis-related medications to protect from bone loss. For these reasons, women of all ages are advised to ingest plenty of calcium and vitamin D. Dairy products are the best sources of dietary calcium, but non-dairy, calcium-fortified foods, such as breads, leafy vegetables and baked beans are also good sources. In addition, weight-lifting and strengthening exercises have also been shown to improve coordination and may even increase bone density.
Osteoporosis specialists at the World Congress on Osteoporosis reported that marketing calcium supplements and calcium-fortified foods to the younger population is not working because young women and teenage girls are not concerned about bone density. Dr. Neville H. Golden of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York wrote that osteoporosis "should no longer be considered only a geriatric disease, but rather a pediatric disease with geriatric consequences."
Drink Your Milk, Young Lady!