Women's Top Five Health Concerns (part3)

Osteoporosis

Hunched backs, back pain, and frailty used to be things older women had to accept before doctors knew anything more about osteoporosis. Now, there are steps women and girls can take to avoid such problems.

Osteoporosis is largely preventable. "The behaviors that women develop in their childhood, in their adolescence, and in their early adult years really play a significant role in the development of the disease." That's because bodies build up most of bone mass until age 30. Then new bone stops forming and the focus is on maintenance of old bone.

It is never too late to keep bones strong and avoid fractures.

"Your body will do what it can to repair bone damage, but you have to provide the tools for it, such as adequate calcium consumption and weight-bearing physical activity," says Mark.

Risk factors for osteoporosis include:

• Female sex
• Increasing age
• Small, thin-boned frame
• Ethnicity. White and Asian women have the greatest risk.
• Family history
• Sex hormones. Infrequent menstrual cycles and estrogen loss due to menopause may increase risk.
• Anorexia
• Diet low in calcium and vitamin D
• Medication use, particularly glucocorticoids or some anticonvulsants
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Smoking

Excessive alcohol Talk to your doctor about your possible risk of osteoporosis, and what you can do to prevent problems.