The DANGER
of OSTEOPOROSIS
Why we're more susceptible to osteoporosis and what can we can do to prevent it.
by Victoria Clayton
e pay careful attention to the way our nails are groomed, our hair is styled and our eye shadow is applied. We diet endlessly and search for anti-aging creams promising to eliminate our crow's feet. Many of us even submit to painful and costly procedures to get a voluptuous body, seductive eyes or flawless skin. But what about age-proofing our bones?One of the best anti-aging tactics is to develop strong bones and a good posture. While we all hope to be the older woman with the straight shoulders and erect spine, some of us may end up shrunken and shriveled-if we ignore measures to prevent osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis victims suffer from a condition that can make bones as fragile as eggshells. A bump on the wrist can fracture the forearm. A slip on the ice can break a hip. The affliction, which causes bones to thin and become porous, is often responsible for loss of height and the infamous dowager's hump.
About 25 million Americans suffer from the disease, according to the Osteoporosis Foundation. The affliction especially preys on women with weak bones resulting from hereditary factors, poor nutrition and low estrogen.
Indeed, the dramatically low estrogen levels we experience after menopause is the main reason women account for 80% of all osteoporosis cases. Estrogen prevents bone loss. When menopause hits and estrogen levels plummet, bone tissue is lost at one percent a year.
There is good news, however. If you're in your 20s and 30s, and willing to put in a little bone-saving effort, you can help ward off the brittle bones that plague retirees.
First, the petite Asian frame, with its small bones and muscles, offers less resistance to the ailment than the large-boned bodies of African Americans, for instance.
Second, Asians typically suffer from a lack of calcium, the nutrient essential for developing a healthy skeletal system. The dearth of this nutrient in traditional Asian diets is alarming. One study found the average Asian diet contained less than half of the daily calcium intake of 1,000 milligrams recommended by government health experts. The average Western diet doesn't fare much better, offering only two-thirds of the Recommended Daily Allowance.
Reasons for our low calcium intake lay in lifestyle and biology. Dairy products like milk, cheese and ice cream constitute the bulk of our calcium sources, but since they are rich in fat and calories, we typically avoid them.
Even if we did crave dairy products, many of us couldn't enjoy them. Many Asians are predisposed to lactose intolerance. About 50 million Americans -particularly Asians, African Americans and Native Americans-suffer from this condition that causes stomach pains, gas and bloating after consuming dairy products. Lactose intolerants fail to produce the enzyme that breaks down lactose, the natural sugar in dairy products. The gastrointestinal difficulties they then suffer reinforces a distaste for dairy products and contributes significantly to calcium deficiency, according to a recent study by Tufts University.
The third culprit is the modern lifestyle. Excessive use of nicotine, alcohol and caffeine can deplete the nutrients that build bones. A sedentary existence spent behind desks and steering wheels fails to increase bone density the way walking and jogging do.
"People in their native countries seem to be different than Asian women living in the U.S.," Mundy says. "The more Westernized the person, the more prone she is to osteoporosis. It's possible that in a more traditional lifestyle, women get more exercise and develop stronger muscles around the hip."