How to prevent osteoporosis

Fractures in the thigh and spine can be painful consequences of osteoporosis. This disease affects many people. Lifestyle plays an important role in avoiding them.

To prevent osteoporosis, a balanced, calcium-rich diet and regular exercise are important. Also, you should have enough Vitamin D to hire.

Vitamin D is essential for the body to absorb calcium from food, explains orthopedic surgeon and trauma surgeon Prof. Michael Amling. If there is a deficiency, the body attacks the calcium reserves of the skeleton. The result: “We are losing bones”.

These foods can help prevent osteoporosis

Most vitamin D is produced by the skin when it is exposed to sunlight. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) lists it in significant amounts in foods, such as fatty sea fish, some offal, edible mushrooms, and eggs.

Consuming food supplements with vitamin D, however, according to consumer advice centers, only makes sense after consulting a doctor, because an overdose can be harmful to health.

Movement is essential

Sport is also essential for bone health, says Prof. Amling. Consider an “individually tailored mix” of endurance, strength and balance as the best option. But daily physical activity is also recommended, according to the head of the Institute of Osteology and Biomechanics at the Hamburg-Eppendorf University Hospital.

Additionally, risk factors such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption should be avoided, advises Amling. Body weight is ideally in the normal range.

Higher risk for women

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease in which the bones lose strength. So they break more easily. It is also called the disease Loss of bone mass because bone mass decreases faster than in healthy people.

According to Amling, the disease often goes unnoticed for a long time. According to the Federal Self-Help Association for Osteoporosis, around six million people are affected in Germany. Especially women after the Menopause are at risk due to decreased estrogen levels.