From dark chocolate to toe-touches in front of the TV – how to protect your bones and prevent fractures as you age
YOU might not think much about the 206 bones that make up your skeleton.
That is until yours start to ache, or you suffer from a break or fracture.
“Your bones are one of the most important components to the human body,” Dr Naomi Newman-Beinart, a nutritionist and chartered psychologist specialising in health psychology, tells Sun Health.
“They provide structure, protect organs, store calcium and they’re involved in the production of vital hormones and enzymes that support our body’s functions.”
Your bones are at their thickest and strongest in your early adult life.
But over time, they can weaken due to age, lifestyle, genetics and hormones.
From the age of 35, you gradually start losing your bone mass, which can lead to osteopenia – a lower bone density than the average for your age.
If left untreated, this can develop into osteoporosis, a disease that affects 3.5million people in the UK.
It causes bones to weaken, making them more prone to breaks and fractures – often without you noticing, meaning it’s described as a ‘silent’ condition.
This includes ‘fragility fractures’; those that occur after only moderate trauma, such as falling from standing height or picking up a bag of shopping. Even a cough or sneeze can cause a broken rib.
Research shows half of women and 20 per cent of men over the age of 50 experience fractures, mostly due to low bone strength.
So are you at risk?
As you age, bone mass naturally decreases, so the older you are, the higher your chances of developing bone issues.
Women are also more likely to experience a loss of bone mass than men.
“They have smaller, thinner bones, and go through huge hormonal shifts,” says Dr Newman-Beinart, working with collagen brand Correxico.
“In the few years after menopause, most women go through more rapid bone loss, when the hormone oestrogen decreases sharply.
“A woman can lose up to 20 per cent of her bone density during the five to seven years following the menopause.”
Our habits also play a role.
Nadia Alibhai, osteopath and founder of Back 2 Well-Being, says: “People who smoke regularly or drink alcohol every day can end up with low bone density or worsening osteopenia.”
A sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, being overweight, eating disorders and certain conditions such as hypothyroidism and diabetes can also have an impact.
Want to reduce your chances of weak bones? This is what experts recommend…
1. GET JUMPING
TEN to 20 jumps, done twice a day, helps improve bone mineral density, research shows.
“I always say, ‘bash your bones’, with weight-bearing exercises, so things like jumping, running up and down the stairs, or putting pressure on them in a plank exercise, for example,” Nadia says.
“This will help with bone calcium absorption and strengthen bones.”
Dancing, walking and even team sports also help.
2. WORK YOUR MUSCLES
JUST two to three strength-based workouts each week can boost your bones.
Claire Mills, physiotherapist, Pilates expert and founder of Core LDN, says: “Strength helps bones as during exercise, muscles contract against resistance, exerting force on bones, stimulating bone building cells called osteoblasts.
“These deposit new bone material.
“Regular strength training is known to increase bone mineral density which is key for bone strength.
“Strength also indirectly helps bones by improving the stability of joints and helps to improve posture.”
Nadia recommends starting with basic bodyweight exercises and building up to resistance bands, cables, and weights, such as dumbbells.
3. EAT THE RIGHT FOODS
DIET also has a huge impact on your bone health.
Include a portion of bone-building protein-rich food in each meal, such as fish, eggs, chicken, turkey, beans, lentils or dairy.
Eat magnesium-rich foods too. “Around 60 per cent of your magnesium is stored in your bones,” Dr Newman-Beinart says.
“Deficiency has been associated with a higher likelihood of getting osteoporosis.”
Tuck into nuts, seeds, whole grains such as brown rice and quinoa, spinach, kale, lentils and dark chocolate.
Calcium and vitamin D are both vital for bones too.
Low-calorie diets slow down your metabolism, which can create rebound hunger and cause muscle mass loss, which has a detrimental impact on bone health
Claire Mills
Although cow’s milk and dairy products might be your calcium go-tos, Dr Newman-Beinart says tofu, almonds, seeds, dried fruits, tinned fish such as sardines and anchovies and green leafy vegetables are also great ways to get your daily dose of calcium.
Vitamin D is found in oily fish, fortified mushrooms and eggs.
As the sun is our main source of vitamin D, the UK government recommends that everyone take a vitamin D supplement containing at least 10 micrograms of the stuff from October to March.
“People that are indoors a lot and those who dress modestly and don’t expose their skin to sunlight will need to supplement in the summer time as well,” says Nadia.
4. TOUCH YOUR TOES
STRETCHING can support your bones – but thankfully you don’t have to devote hours to it.
Just five minutes when you wake up and before going to bed can help.
“Stretching increases blood flow to the bones, helping them to receive oxygen and nutrients to facilitate bone health,” Claire says.
“Static (still) stretching loads the bones, helping with bone remodelling and growth.
“Stretching also improves load, control and flexibility through your joints, indirectly helping with bone strengthening, balance and preventing falls or poor posture.”
YouTube is a great place to start for short, follow-along stretch videos.
The top foods for healthy bones
EATING a balanced diet will help to keep your bones healthy.
This means plenty of fruit, vegetables, protein, healthy fats and sufficient calcium and vitamin D.
Not getting enough of these things can cause conditions like rickets and osteoporosis, and increase your risk of breaking bones later in life.
Adults need 700mg of calcium a day. It can be found in foods and drinks like:
- Milk, cheese and other dairy
- Green leafy vegetables (e.g. as broccoli, cabbage and okra, but not spinach)
- Soya beans
- Tofu
- Fortified plant-based drinks (e.g. soya drink)
- Nuts
- Bread and anything made with fortified flour
- Fish where you eat the bones (e.g. sardines and pilchards)
The recommended daily intake for vitamin D for adults in the UK is 10 micrograms (or 400 International Units, or IU).
As it’s difficult to get all the vitamin D we need from our diet, and we get most of it from the sun, we should all take daily supplements from October to March.
Vitamin D can also be found in:
- Oily fish (e.g. salmon, sardines and mackerel)
- Egg yolks
- Fortified foods (e.g. some fat spreads and breakfast cereals)
5. DITCH LOW-CALORIE DIETS
IF you drop your calories too low, your bones may suffer.
“Low-calorie diets slow down your metabolism, which can create rebound hunger and cause muscle mass loss, which again has a detrimental impact on bone health,” says Claire.
The NHS average recommended daily calorie count is 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men.
However, exactly how many you need will depend on your age, body composition and activity levels.
“Generally, a calorie intake lower than 1,200 a day for women or 1,500 for men is considered too low,” adds Claire.
6. BE SUPPLEMENT SAVVY
IT can be hard to get all the bone-boosting nutrients through food alone, so a supplement could help.
Nadia recommends taking vitamin D3 with vitamin K2.
“Vitamin D absorbs calcium but vitamin K pulls the calcium out of the arteries, which is when it clogs up the arteries,” she says.
“So vitamin K pulls the calcium out of the arteries and puts it into the bones.”
Dr Newman-Beinart also recommends marine collagen powder. Collagen is a key protein which makes up our bones.
In a study published in 2020, post-menopausal women with osteopenia were given 5g of collagen along with calcium and vitamin D3 for three months.
“The study showed that the women’s bone turnover slowed down,” says Dr Newman-Beinart.
Try Correxiko Wild Marine Collagen, which can be blended into coffee and smoothies, or sprinkled on porridge or cereal.
Concerned about your bone health? Book an appointment with your doctor who can offer advice.
If you’re menopausal, your doctor may suggest hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to help decrease bone density loss.