Reducing osteoporosis risk
A bone health lifestyle management resource has been produced for the one-in-three Australians aged fifty and over who suffer from osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis, or “porous bones” is a low bone mass condition that can put people at risk of fractures.
Almost two in every three Australian adults over the age of fifty have the condition, or a less severe form of it known as osteopenia.
It’s expected that more than six million people while be affected by 2022, according to Dairy Australia, which has produced a bone health lifestyle management resource.
The information paper has been written by Professor Belinda Beck, who co-founded the Bone Clinic and heads the Griffith University Bone Densitometry Research Laboratory.
The paper outlines risk factors and the role of genetics, as well lifestyle factors which can improve bone health including weight-bearing exercise, consumption of protein and calcium rich foods, and exposure to safe levels of sunlight.
Increasing peak bone mass by ten per cent could delay the development of osteoporosis by 13 years, the paper suggests.
“Recent evidence suggests a bone-targeted exercise program … can be a potent therapeutic stimulus to improve bone mass and reduce falls in individuals with low to very low bone mass,” the paper says.
A community risk report by Osteoporosis Australia and the Garvan Institute launched by Health Minister Greg Hunt in October found that not enough people were being treated for Osteoporosis.
Speaking at the launch of the report, Osteopororis Australia CEO Grey Lyubomirksy said osteoporosis was under diagnosed in Australia and too many people were unnecessarily breaking bones.
You can find the Osteoporosis report, Know Your Bones here
You can find the Dairy Australia resource here
