NO BONES ABOUT IT
Young or old, now is the time to think about osteoporosis

By Scott Hoover

If you looked at this article and immediately dismissed your risk of osteoporosis because you think it is a disease that only affects older women--then you are mistaken. Millions of others across the United States are under this misconception, and we are here to spread the Good News about sunlight and its positive effects on this crippling disease.

Recent studies have shown that nutrition, exercise, medicines and sunlight, at a young age, can greatly reduce your risk of acquiring this disease that disables men and women of ALL ages.

Getting To The Bones Of It

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that affects more than 1.5 million people--mostly older women--in the United States every year. In addition, one in two women and one in eight men will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture sometime in their lifetime. The disease causes bones to gradually become thinner and more porous, resulting in a higher possibility of fractures that usually occur in the spine, hip or wrist.

What does this mean for you? Let's look at the numbers. There were 250,000 hip fractures in the United States in 1990 with approximately 50,000 deaths from complications occurring within the first six months after the accident. More than 50,000 individuals who survive are unable to walk without assistance and an additional 50,000 of the survivors subsequently require long-term nursing home care.

By 2010, there are projected to be more than 1 million hip fractures each year in the United States as baby boomers reach retirement age. It is for this reason that osteoporosis represents such a major challenge to the financial stability of the U.S. health care system due to the fact that the annual cost currently is estimated to be greater than $10 billion per year. In addition, this total is projected to explode to $40 billion per year by 2010.

"Osteoporosis occurs in all populations and at all ages and is a devastating disorder with significant physical, psychosocial and financial consequences," says Anne Klibanski, M.D., professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "Bone mass attained during childhood and teenage years is perhaps the most important determinant of life-long skeletal health, a fact that is under-appreciated."

What causes osteoporosis? Although not all causes are known, loss of estrogen, due to menopause, is a known factor in women. Women who either have had early menopause or their ovaries surgically removed before the age of 45, without receiving estrogen treatment, also are more likely to develop the disease.

Other factors that make it more likely for people to develop osteoporosis include small body frames, excessive use of alcohol or tobacco and doing excessively strenuous exercise that stops menstrual periods. Finally, aging is considered a major factor in the development of the disease. Without treatment, men and women lose 1 percent to 3 percent of their bone mass each year after age 50. Thus, as life expectations increase, osteoporosis likely is to become even more prevalent unless preventive measures are taken.

Osteoporosis often is called the "silent disease" because bone loss occurs without symptoms. People may not know they have osteoporosis until their bones become so weak that a sudden strain, bump or fall causes a fracture or a vertebra to collapse. This is just another reason to take preventative steps now.

The Good News

Although osteoporosis can be a disabling disease, there has been some good news on the front to fight the disease. According to an independent non-government consensus panel convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), nutrition, exercise and medicines can play a pivotal role in the prevention of osteoporosis.

Additionally, moderate and responsible exposure to sunlight received a plug in the recent Interim Report and Recommendations of the World Health Organization Task-Force for Osteoporosis published in the Nov. 4, 1999, issue of Osteoporosis International. The goal of the WHO Task Force was to develop a master document on osteoporosis management and prevention.

Due to the fact that osteoporosis is a skeletal disease caused by low calcium intake and/or insufficiency of vitamin D due to inadequate sunlight, the WHO Task Force now calls for adequate exposure to sunlight in order to curb this disease.

"If vitamin D is absent, calcium, which is vital for normal bone growth and development, will not be absorbed from the intestinal tract and the bones become deformed," says Zane Kime, M.D., M.S. in his book Sunlight. "In children, the condition is termed rickets, and in adults, it is referred to as osteomalacia or osteoporosis. Either of these disease conditions can occur if calcium and phosphorus are deficient in the diet, or if the minerals are present but vitamin D is absent. Healthy bones then are dependent upon a supply of calcium and phosphorus, the absorption of which is dependent upon the presence of vitamin D, which in turn is dependent upon one's exposure to the sun."

What can you do now to help prevent the onset of osteoporosis later in life? Doing weight-bearing exercise daily helps reduce bone mineral loss, as well as maintaining good muscle tone and heart function. Walking or jogging one to two miles each day is ideal; playing tennis and cross-country skiing also is good. Swimming, although an excellent form of exercise, is not weight-bearing, so its benefit for bones is minimal. Always make sure to check with your health-care provider before beginning any exercise program.

Nutrition also is important. The mineral, calcium, along with vitamin D, is needed for healthy bones. Taking the recommended amounts of calcium and getting enough vitamin D is important for people of all ages as peak bone mass is reached during the late 20s and early 30s. Most adults need 1,000 to 1,500 mg of calcium and at least 400 units of vitamin D per day. The main source of vitamin D is sunlight; however, it also can be found in some foods. That is just one reason why moderate and responsible exposure to sunlight or visiting your local tanning salon may be so important.

Tobacco and alcohol use also increase your risk of developing osteoporosis. Experts suggest that individuals not use any type of tobacco and limit alcohol intake to no more than two drinks per day.

The Secret Of Soy

Americans attempting to take better care of their health by eating foods low in fat and high in essential nutrients and minerals tends to be growing by leaps and bounds. More and more, these same people tend to be turning to the soybean in an effort to eat healthy, and even to prevent some diseases such as osteoporosis. An excellent source of protein, dietary fiber and a variety of micronutrients, the soybean also has been proven to reduce cholesterol and positively affect other biological indicators of cardiovascular health.

Additionally, research suggests that soy isoflavones can help to maintain bone density. They also are good for reducing menopausal discomforts, the risks of some types of cancer, and, possibly, cardiovascular risk. Finally, a cousin of isoflavone, ipriflavones, also play an important role in maintaining strong, healthy bones and show promise in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.