Bones have many roles to play in the body; they provide structure to the body, protect the organs and are also responsible for storing calcium. That’s why our mothers always emphasised not skipping our daily glass of milk – surely they wanted our bones and teeth to be strong. As we age, and due to other factors as well, our bones start to become weak; this may also be because we are losing bone mass (which is a natural process) but are not making enough of it. This weakening or thinning of bones is called osteoporosis. It also makes us more vulnerable to fractures.

No matter whether you have or have not paid attention to bone health in your childhood, it is something that can and should be done throughout our lives. However, to take care of the bones we must know what affects our bones. How healthy our bones are depends on:

The amount of calcium in our diet as low calcium content contributes to low bone density and early bone loss.

While it’s important to build strong and healthy bones during childhood and adolescence, you need to protect bone health during adulthood too

The level of physical activity: Women have less bone tissue than men;

Your race: white or people of Asian descent are more at risk of developing osteoporosis.

Your frame size and family history: thin or people of small body frame have less bone mass and hence experience bone degeneration. People whose parents or siblings have osteoporosis also have more chances of developing osteoporosis.

Getting older: as we age, our bones lose density and become thinner and weaker.

Hormone level: high levels of thyroid can cause bone loss. Lower levels of oestrogen in women after menopause and low testosterone levels in men can cause loss of bone mass.

Eating disorders: people with eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia are at greater risk of osteoporosis.

Use of certain medication: long-term use of medicines such as corticosteroids, antidepressants, cancer treatment drugs and certain antacids damages the bones.

Tobacco and alcohol use.

Now that we know what causes the bone to lose mass and become weaker we can take certain steps to slow the degeneration. While we can, of course, not change our gender or race or family history, we can definitely improve our diet and eat food items that are rich in calcium and vitamin D. Good sources of calcium include: milk, cheese and other dairy items; green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and okra (although spinach might appear to contain a lot of calcium, it also contains oxalic acid, which reduces calcium absorption, and is therefore not a good source of calcium); soya beans; nuts; bread and anything made of fortified flour. Many nutrients besides calcium and vitamin D contribute to bone health, so it is important to take a healthy balanced diet. Doctors also prescribe calcium supplements to help make up for the bone loss.

Though some food items such as eggs, fortified yoghurt and oily fish are good sources of vitamin D, it is difficult to get all the vitamin D we need from diet. We can get most of our vitamin D from exposure to the sun without using sunscreen. People at risk of osteoporosis can ask their physician to prescribe vitamin D supplements.

Another way to improve your bone health is to include physical activity in your daily routine; weight bearing exercises such as walking, jogging, and climbing stairs can help build strong bones and reduce bone loss.

Also it is important to avoid substance abuse; i.e. avoid smoking and alcoholic drinks.

If you think your bones are becoming weak you should consult your physician who will recommend a bone density test and on the basis of the result, suggest measurements to reduce bone loss and may, depending on the need, prescribe calcium and vitamin D supplements.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, January 10th, 2016