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Living with Osteoporosis

A Lifetime of Bone Health

Every year, millions of men and women are diagnosed with bone loss. With medication, diet, and exercise, you can work toward a lifetime of healthy bones. Find out how to keep your bones healthy and strong ›

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Build Your Bones With Exercise

Your bones are constantly changing. Old bone continuously breaks down and is replaced by new. When you're young, your body makes bone fast enough to replace what's lost. This helps you reach your peak bone mass, the point at which your bones are strongest.

At about age 30 (if you're a woman; later, if you're a man), you start to lose bone mass faster than your body can replace it, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This increases your risk for osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become less dense. This makes them weak and more vulnerable to breaks. The disease affects 10 million Americans, 8 million of whom are women.

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The Healthy-Bones Diet

Adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D in your diet help maintain your bone strength, reducing your risk for osteoporosis, a condition in which bones become weak because of the loss of bone density. Although you can take supplements that provide calcium and vitamin D, the best way to get adequate calcium is by eating calcium-rich foods. The best way to get vitamin D is to expose your face, arms, hands or back (without sunscreen) to the sun for 10 to 15 minutes at least two times per week.

One in every two women and one in four men older than 50 will have a bone fracture caused by weak bones in their lifetime. Fortunately, following a healthy-bones diet can bolster bone strength and reduce the risk for osteoporosis.

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Spotlight on Osteoporosis

Glossary of Osteoporosis Terms

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Amenorrhea, Calcium, Estrogen, Hormone, Hyperparathyroidism, Libido, Menopause, Osteocyte, Parathyroid, Perimenopause, Porous, Resorption, Trabecular, Vitamin D

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Did You Know?

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Women ages 19 to 50 need at least 1,000 milligrams of calcium every day. Younger women and women older than 50 need even more.

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