Osteoporosis: Evaluate Your Risk

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes rapid thinning of bones. Over time, this weakens the bones and can make them more likely to break.

"One out of every four women develops an osteoporotic fracture by age 70," says Nayan Raman Patel, M.D., a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist in Fort Worth, Texas.

Many people are unaware they have osteoporosis until they have advanced symptoms, which may include a broken hip or wrist, low back pain, or a hunched back.

Risk factors

Examine these risk factors to see if you're at risk:

• Does your family have a history of osteoporosis?

• Are you thin, petite, and small-muscled? Do you have fair skin or thin skin?

• Do you drink or smoke heavily?

• Are you physically inactive?

• Have you taken excessive thyroid medication?

• Have you taken corticosteroids?

• Do you use excessive caffeine or salt?

• Do you avoid milk and dairy products? Did you avoid them as a child?

Ask your health care provider to assess your risk for the disease if you answered "yes" to three or more of the questions above. Medications are available that can slow the progress of osteoporosis.

Ask your doctor if you should have a bone mineral density test, a noninvasive way to diagnose osteoporosis, Dr. Patel says.

What to do

To help prevent osteoporosis:

• Do regular weight-bearing exercise. The best exercise for your bones is weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, dancing, jogging, stair-climbing, playing racquet sports, and hiking. If you've been sedentary, be sure to check with your health care provider before beginning any exercise program.

• Take calcium and vitamin D. People older than 50 should get 1,200 mg of calcium per day. If you have difficulty getting enough calcium from foods, take a supplement to make up the difference. Vitamin D is needed for the body to absorb calcium. A daily intake of 400 to 800 IUs is recommended. Fortified dairy products, egg yolks, saltwater fish, and liver are high in the vitamin.

• Don't smoke.

• Don't drink alcohol in excess.

• Don't take corticosteroids unless your health care provider prescribes them.