How to prevent Osteoporosis?

You can help to prevent osteoporosis by:

• Getting enough calcium and vitamin D. Many doctors routinely recommend extra calcium; 500 milligrams to 1,000 milligrams daily in the form of calcium carbonate, as in Tums, and in many other inexpensive forms. You may need even more if your diet is particularly low in calcium or if you are breastfeeding. You may also need to take a daily multivitamin that contains vitamin D.

• Regularly doing weight-bearing exercises

• Not smoking

• Avoiding excess alcohol

If you are a woman who has entered menopause recently, talk to your doctor about being evaluated for osteoporosis. Preventive options for menopause-related osteoporosis include estrogen replacement therapy, raloxifene (Evista), alendronate (Fosamax) or risedronate (Actonel). Because estrogen slows the breakdown of bone, the loss of estrogen during menopause leads to bone loss. Estrogen therapy and raloxifene (which behaves like estrogen on bone) help to counteract this process. Estrogen replacement therapy for preventing or treating osteoporosis has fallen out of favor because of side effects, including an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Alendronate and risedronate are called bisphosphonates, a family of drugs that slow down the cells that break down bone. In this way, these drugs can help bone to become thicker. A bone density test may make the decision easier if it shows signs of a problem. Because the loss of height caused by osteoporosis-related compression fractures may not cause any other symptoms, it is also a good idea to measure your height every year, especially if you are a woman older than age 40.

Another measure to help prevent osteoporosis is to monitor thyroid medication regularly if you take it, because too much may lead to osteoporosis and other medical problems. If you take prednisone for any reason, work with your doctor to reduce the dose to the lowest possible amount or even to discontinue the medication.