

What is Osteoporosis?
- Osteoporosis is a disease where your bones become soft and weak making them susceptible to fractures
- Simple activities such as coughing, sneezing, hugging, picking up the newspaper or lifting groceries can cause the bones to break
- Affects the entire body – bones of the back, hip, wrist and ribcage are more likely to fracture
- It occurs in both men and women of all ages and different ethnicity
- It develops slowly and can go undetected for years while the bones are being robbed of calcium
What are the consequences of Osteoporosis?
- Broken Bones
- Back Pain
- Loss of height
- Stooped rounded shoulders
- Humped Back
- Loss of Independence & mobility
- Low self esteem
- Fear of falling
- Depression, nervousness, fear
- Death
Osteoporosis Facts
- More women die from osteoporosis related fractures than from cancers of the breast, ovaries & uterus combined
- Men over 50 are at a greater risk of an osteoporosis related fracture than from developing prostate cancer
- Approximately, 20% of women and 34% of men will die within one year from a hip fracture and 75% will have some form of permanent disability
- In the first 5 to 7 years after menopause, women can lose from 5% to 30% of their bone mass
- About 40% of women past menopause will fracture a bone
- 1 out of 2 women and 1 out of 5 men will sustain fractures due to osteoporosis
- Canadians spend an incredible $1.3 billion a year for the treatment of those stricken with the disease
- Research estimates that as many as 40% of 50 year old women will suffer an osteoporotic fracture some time during their lives
- One in six women over the age of 70 will break a hip and one quarter will break a vertebra
- 1.6 million hip fractures occur each year! That is equivalent to one every 20 seconds!
- By 2020, the world’s population of seniors will double
- By 2040, the number of osteoporotic fractures will triple
How can you prevent Osteoporosis?
- See your doctor and get your risk factors assessed
- Get a bone density test to assess your bone health
- Aim for 1500mg of calcium/day & 1000 IU of vitamin D/day through diet &/or supplements
- 3 to 4 servings of dairy products/day gives you enough calcium for the day e.g. one glass of milk has 300 mg of calcium and 200 IU of vitamin D, ¾ cup of plain yogurt has 300 mg of calcium, 1 ¼ cube of cheese has 250 mg of calcium
- There are also other calcium-rich foods e.g. orange juice with calcium; salmon/sardine with bones, almonds, beans & many more
- Be physically active – moderate exercise helps maintain or improve bone density, improves balance, reduces risk of falling & risk of fractures and dramatically improves quality of life
- Do weight-bearing activities like walking, dancing, low impact aerobics, hiking, golf, tennis, climbing stairs, bowling, jogging
- Do strengthening activities like weightlifting with dumbbells, wrist and ankle weights or even household objects like cans of soup
- Do balance training like tai-chi or yoga
- Practice proper postural & fall prevention techniques
- Stop smoking
- Drink moderately, not excessively
- Limit yourself to less than 3 cups of caffeinated beverages or have decaffeinated beverages
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