Unfortunately, some factors are beyond your control. Women are more likely to have osteoporosis and related fractures, particularly Caucasian and Asian women.

Osteoporosis becomes more common as you get older. Low body weight can also increase your risk. And so can certain medications such as steroids and certain diseases and conditions such as anorexia nervosa, rheumatoid arthritis, gastrointestinal diseases, thyroid disease and depression.

Talk to your doctor well before the age of 50 about your risk. One out of 2 women and 1 out of 4 men over age 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis. The test uses a tiny amount of radiation to look at how dense your bones are.

That depends on your risk factors. Sundeep Khosla of the Mayo Clinic. So ask your doctor about osteoporosis. If you do have osteoporosis, medications can help.

Khosla has spent 20 years studying the basic biology of bone. He and his team have discovered how bone reacts to changes in levels of estrogen, an important female hormone A molecule sent through the bloodstream to signal another part of the body to grow or react a certain way.

Partly as a result of NIH-funded discoveries like this, there are now several drugs that can block the breakdown of bone.

Some are already available, and some are on their way to being approved for patient use. Your bones are so important. They support you and allow you to move. They protect your heart, lungs and brain from injury.

Your bones take care of you in so many ways. Learn to take care of them. Digging Into Vitamin D. Living With Scoliosis. Beating Bursitis. Osteoporosis in Aging. NIH Office of Communications and Public Liaison Building 31, Room 5B52 Bethesda, MD nihnewsinhealth od.

gov Tel: Editor: Harrison Wein, Ph. Managing Editor: Tianna Hicklin, Ph. Illustrator: Alan Defibaugh. Attention Editors: Reprint our articles and illustrations in your own publication.

Our material is not copyrighted. Please acknowledge NIH News in Health as the source and send us a copy. For more consumer health news and information, visit health. Vitamin D sometimes labeled vitamin D3 helps the body absorb calcium. But most kids don't eat many foods that contain vitamin D.

Because vitamin D is so important, health care providers recommend all kids take a vitamin D supplement if they don't get enough in their diet. Even babies need to take vitamin D unless they're drinking at least 32 ounces of formula per day. Ask your doctor, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or a dietitian how much vitamin D your child needs and the best way to get it.

Protect your child's skin with sunscreen , clothing, and shade. Besides foods and supplements, people get vitamin D from sun exposure. So protect skin to prevent skin cancer and early aging.

Activities like walking, running, jumping, and climbing are especially good for building bone. They are called weight-bearing activities because they use the force of our muscles and gravity to put pressure on our bones.

The pressure makes the body build up stronger bone. Activities like riding a bike and swimming don't create this weight-bearing pressure. They are great for overall body health, but kids also need to do some weight-bearing exercises.

Make sure your child gets at least an hour of physical activity each day, including weight-bearing exercises. Everyone needs to get enough calcium, vitamin D, and exercise.

But these are really important for kids — especially when they're growing during the preteen and teen years. KidsHealth Parents 3 Ways to Build Strong Bones. en español: Tres formas de tener unos huesos fuertes. Medically reviewed by: Richard W. Kruse, DO and Susan M. Dubowy, PA-C.

Orthopedics at Nemours Children's Health. Listen Play Stop Volume mp3 Settings Close Player.

Ensure your meals include adequate amounts of calcium, vitamin D, and other essential nutrients. Incorporate dairy products, leafy greens, salmon, fortified cereals, and nuts into your diet.

Consider discussing your nutritional needs with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian to tailor a diet plan that meets your specific requirements for bone health.

Regular physical activity, particularly weight-bearing exercises, helps build and maintain bone density. Activities like walking, jogging, dancing, stair climbing, and strength training promote bone strength and reduce the risk of fractures. Consult with a healthcare professional to design an exercise regimen that suits your fitness level and addresses any specific concerns.

Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption and bone health. Spend time outdoors to naturally absorb vitamin D from sunlight, especially during the early morning or late afternoon. If needed, consider dietary supplements or fortified foods to ensure adequate vitamin D levels.

Consult with your healthcare provider to determine the appropriate dosage for supplementation. Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption have detrimental effects on bone health. Alcohol interferes with bone remodeling and can lead to bone loss. Quit smoking and limit alcohol intake to promote better bone health and overall well-being.

Maintaining a healthy body weight is beneficial for bone health. Excessive weight can put extra stress on bones and joints, increasing the risk of fractures.

On the other hand, being underweight may result in reduced bone density. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should have no more than mg caffeine per day about 2 cups per day.

Drinking alcohol can contribute to bone loss. Too much sodium, which is found in salt, can reduce bone density.

Choose lower sodium foods by comparing food labels. Healthy adults need only mg of sodium per day. They can also advise if you would benefit from a supplement. Most employee benefit plans cover dietitian services. Connect with a dietitian today!

To keep your bones strong follow these 7 tips! Make sure to get enough calcium, vitamin D and other important nutrients, stay active, and limit caffeine, alcohol and sodium intake. Lower Your Risk of Osteoporosis Food Sources of Calcium What You Need to Know About Vitamin D This article was written and reviewed by dietitians from Dietitians of Canada.

Dietitians look beyond fads to deliver reliable, life-changing advice. Want to unlock the potential of food?

Connect with a dietitian. Home Articles Bone Health 7 Tips to Help Keep Your Bones Strong. What happens to my bones as I age?

How can I keep my bones strong? Try these seven tips! Choose calcium-rich foods to keep your bones strong Calcium is the building-block of bones. You can find calcium in foods like: Milk Yogurt Cheese Kefir Fortified plant-based beverages, like fortified soy beverage Beans, tofu, nuts, fish and leafy green vegetables like collards and spinach Find out more about calcium-rich foods here.

Get enough vitamin D to keep your bones strong Vitamin D helps you absorb calcium in foods. You can find vitamin D in: Milk Fortified soy and other fortified plant-based beverages Fatty fish like salmon and sardines Margarine Egg yolks Fortified yogurts check the label Some people have trouble getting enough vitamin D.

Get enough nutrients to keep your bones strong Potassium , vitamin K and magnesium help your body absorb and use calcium. Stay active to keep your bones strong Aim to be active for at least minutes each week. Try: Weight-bearing exercises like running, walking, hiking, low impact aerobics, dancing, tennis and golf.

Limit caffeine to keep your bones strong Having too much caffeine c an decrease the amount of calcium you absorb. Limit alcohol to keep your bones strong Drinking alcohol can contribute to bone loss. How can a dietitian help?

Bottom Line To keep your bones strong follow these 7 tips! You may also be interested in: Lower Your Risk of Osteoporosis Food Sources of Calcium What You Need to Know About Vitamin D This article was written and reviewed by dietitians from Dietitians of Canada.

Last Update — January 18,

Print this issue. Our bones are alive. We might not think of them that way—but to keep themselves strong and usable, our bones are always changing. Joan McGowan, a scientist at NIH. It keeps refreshing itself. But as you get older, your bones may be at increased risk for osteoporosis A disease in which bones thin and weaken so that they become fragile and break easily.

oss-tee-oh-pore-OH-sis , when the bones become weak, fragile and more likely to break. And once they break, they take longer to heal. This can be both painful and expensive.

Current estimates suggest that around 10 million people in the U. have osteoporosis, and 34 million more have low bone mass, which places them at increased risk. With osteoporosis, even a minor tumble can be serious, requiring surgery and hospitalization. A spinal fracture, a break in one of the small bones in your back, may be subtle and go unnoticed.

But diet and physical activity are major ways to build and maintain the best possible skeleton. NIH-funded research shows that childhood is the best time to build up bone tissue. Most bone is built by age 18 in girls and 20 in boys. Start with a well-balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D.

Most of our bone is made of a rigid protein framework. Calcium a mineral adds strength and hardens that framework. Vitamin D helps the intestine absorb calcium. Calcium is found in many foods, but the most common source for Americans is milk and other dairy products. One 8-ounce glass of milk provides about one-third of the recommended intake for younger children and about one-fourth of the recommended intake for teens.

Some people get all they need from sunlight, but others need to take vitamin D pills. Talk to your doctor or see the chart at www. asp to find out how much calcium and vitamin D you should get each day.

Physical activity is also important for building bone. The more work bones do, the stronger they get. The trend now—of not having physical education in school and playing computer games instead of tag—may be a serious threat to bone health.

Unfortunately, some factors are beyond your control. Women are more likely to have osteoporosis and related fractures, particularly Caucasian and Asian women.

Osteoporosis becomes more common as you get older. Low body weight can also increase your risk. And so can certain medications such as steroids and certain diseases and conditions such as anorexia nervosa, rheumatoid arthritis, gastrointestinal diseases, thyroid disease and depression.

Talk to your doctor well before the age of 50 about your risk. They also work well paired with cheese and even as a pizza topping. Canned salmon. A 3-ounce serving has mg of calcium. It's so rich in the mineral because canned salmon includes tiny, soft bones that you likely won't even notice, Dr.

It's easy to mix canned salmon with mayonnaise to make a sandwich spread as you would with tuna or whip it up into a dip. Plant milks. We automatically think of cow's milk as a solid calcium source, and with good reason. But milk made from almonds, rice, or soy is typically fortified to reach a calcium level similar to its dairy counterpart: 8 ounces contains to mg.

Check labels, and also watch out for sugar that might be added to plant milk. This soy-based mainstay of Asian cuisine boasts mg of calcium in a 4-ounce serving, while calcium-enriched versions often have double that amount.

Soy foods, which include edamame, are generally high in calcium, Dr. Rosen says, as well as an important source of protein — also important to bone health. Almonds and almond butter. Known for their heart-health benefits, almonds are easy to love though calorie-dense. A half-cup of the nuts alone has mg of calcium, while 2 tablespoons of almond butter contains mg of calcium.

White canned beans. Each cup of these soup- and chili-enriching legumes — which encompass navy, cannellini, great northern, and lima beans — contains about mg of calcium. Beans are a smart source of protein as well, Dr.

Osteoporosis, a disease in which bones become weak and brittle, strikes four times as many older women as men, a disparity due in part to our loss of bone-protecting estrogen after menopause.

But while you may shrink a bit in height or develop a slightly stooped posture as you age — hints that osteoporosis is lurking — the condition typically doesn't announce itself until you break a bone.

One weapon can stave off that painful scenario, however: bone density testing. The x-ray technology, known as a DEXA scan, measures the density of calcium and other minerals in bones.

It can detect osteoporosis before a dangerous fracture happens. DEXA can also predict your risk for a future bone break or determine how well osteoporosis medication is working. Bone density testing is recommended for all women starting at age 65 and every two years thereafter.

Women 50 to 64 should also begin regular testing if they have certain risk factors for osteoporosis, such as low body weight, a past fracture, a parent who broke a hip, a disease linked to bone loss, or medication use known to thin the bones. How is DEXA scanning done? Over a minute period, you'll lie on your back on a padded table.

One x-ray device will pass over your hips and lower spine, while another passes underneath. As with other x-ray testing, you'll be asked to stay still and hold your breath at certain points.

The test will generate two scores. One compares your bone density to that of a healthy young adult. The second compares it to peers of the same age, gender, and ethnic background.

The higher your score, the denser your bones. While current guidelines help your doctor decide when to treat low bone density, further research is needed to determine whether the guidelines related to ethnicity are accurate. Adding a few lower-profile calcium-rich foods to your diet can enhance bone benefits beyond what you get from daily basics such as dairy products and dark greens.

How much calcium should you aim for? The National Academy of Medicine recommends 1, mg daily for women 50 and under and 1, mg each day for women 51 and older.