Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month
Published on
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
May is National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month.
Did You Know?
Osteoporosis is a “silent” disease because you typically do not have symptoms and may not even know you have the disease until you break a bone.
Despite this being a “silent” disease there are risk factors for developing osteoporosis, including:
- A family history of broken bones or osteoporosis,
- History of broken bone after age 50,
- Previous surgery to remove the ovaries before menopause,
- Poor dietary habits, including insufficient amounts of calcium and or vitamin D or protein.
- Physical inactivity or prolonged periods of bedrest,
- Smoking cigarettes,
- Heavy use of alcohol,
- Long-term use of certain medications, such as corticosteroids, proton pump inhibitors, and antiepileptic medications,
- Altered level of hormones, such as too much thyroid hormone, too little estrogen in women, or too little testosterone in men, and
- Low body mass index or underweight.
Why it Matters?
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF):
- Approximately 54 million Americans have low bone density or osteoporosis.
- Women can lose up to 20% of bone mass in the first 5-7 years post-menopause.
- Men aged 50 years and older are more likely to break a bone due to osteoporosis than they are to get prostate cancer.
- Studies suggest that approximately 1 in 2 women and up to 1 in 4 men 50 and older will break a bone due to osteoporosis in their lifetime.
What Can You Do?
As we celebrate Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, here are some steps you can take to improve your bone health:
- Eat foods that support bone health. Get enough calcium, vitamin D, and protein each day. Low-fat dairy; leafy green vegetables; fish; and fortified juices, milk, and grains are good sources of calcium. If your vitamin D level is low, talk with your doctor about taking a supplement.
- Get active. Choose weight-bearing exercise, such as strength training, walking, hiking, jogging, climbing stairs, tennis, and dancing. This type of physical activity can help build and strengthen your bones.
- Don’t smoke. Smoking increases your risk of weakened bones. If you do smoke, here are tips for how to quit smoking.
- Limit alcohol consumption. Too much alcohol can harm your bones. Drink in moderation or not at all. Learn more about alcohol and aging.
Resources
National Institute of Health: National Institute on Aging: Osteoporosis: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/osteoporosis/osteoporosis
National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) May 2024 Social Media Toolkit: https://www.bonehealthandosteoporosis.org/wp-content/uploads/2024-OAPM-Social-Media-Toolkit.pdf
National Institute of Health: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases: Osteoporosis: https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/osteoporosis
Article Author: Beth Cobb, RN, BSN, ACM, CCDS
Beth Cobb, RN, BSN, ACM, CCDS, is the Manager of Clinical Analytics at Medical Management Plus, Inc. Beth has over twenty-five years of experience in healthcare including eleven years in Case Management at a large multi-facility health system. In her current position, Beth is a principle writer for MMP’s Wednesday@One weekly e-newsletter, an active member of our HIPAA Compliance Committee, MMP’s Education Department Program Director and co-developer of MMP’s proprietary Compliance Protection Assessment Tool.
