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Get the latest information and research on osteoporosis.
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Find treatment, guidance and advice on living with osteoporosis.
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Share your experience and get involved. Joining the conversation is the first step to ending osteoporosis and broken bones.
Prevention and Healthy Living
Osteoporosis and the broken bones it can cause are not part of normal aging. There is a lot you can do to protect your bones throughout your life. You’re never too young or too old to improve the health of your bones. Osteoporosis prevention should begin in childhood. But it shouldn’t stop there. Whatever your age, the habits you adopt now can affect your bone health for the rest of your life. Now is the time to take action.
What can you do to protect your bones?
- Get enough calcium and vitamin D and eat a well balanced diet.
- Engage in regular exercise.
- Eat foods that are good for bone health, such as fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid smoking and limit alcohol to 2-3 drinks per day.
Calcium and Vitamin D: What You Need to Know
Getting enough calcium and vitamin D are essential to building stronger, denser bones early in life and to keeping bones strong and healthy later in life. Calcium and vitamin D are the two most important nutrients for bone health.
Food and Your Bones
The food that you eat can affect your bones. Learning about the foods that are rich in calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients that are important for your bone health and overall health will help you make healthier food choices every day.
Exercise for Strong Bones
There are two types of exercises that are important for building and maintaining bone density: weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercises.
What Women Need to Know
Being female puts you at risk of developing osteoporosis and broken bones. There are multiple reasons why women are more like to get osteoporosis than men.
Just for Men
Although women are at greater risk, men get osteoporosis too. If you think you can’t get osteoporosis because you’re a man, think again. As our population ages, even more men will get the disease.
Steps to Estimate Your Calcium Intake
Using the chart in this article can help you estimate the amount of calcium you get from food on a typical day. It can also help you learn how much more calcium you need each day from other food sources or supplements.
