Build Better Bones Before 40

Like all bodily tissues, your bones are living tissue that degrade with age. Healthy bones are comprised of three different types of bone tissues:

• Compact tissue — outer, hard tissue 
• Cancellous tissue — inner, sponge-like tissue that surrounds the marrow
• Subchondral tissue — smooth tissue at bone ends

Your bones continually produce new bone cells (i.e., osteoblasts) to replace ones that have aged or died. Another cell called the osteoclast breaks down the old bone. You reach peak bone mass at about age 30. 

However, after age 40 or so, your osteoclasts break down bone at a higher rate than the osteoblasts can replace it. Eventually, you start to lose bone mass, which puts you at risk for a potentially life-threatening fracture.

At Mass Medical Imaging, Joseph Calandra, MD, and Karen Mass, MD, recommend focusing on your bones before they lose minerals and density. We recommend regular bone-density scans to keep tabs on your bone health at our or Lake Forest, Illinois, office. 

How can you keep your bones as healthy and dense as possible for as long as possible? And when do you need to start your bone-density scans? 

Start lifting and sprinting

Resistance training, such as weight lifting, is one of the best ways to build and maintain bone density. First, lifting itself stresses bones, encouraging them to produce new bone cells.

Second, weight lifting or resistance bands build and strengthen muscles. Strong and dense muscles put more pressure on bones, even at rest, encouraging them to produce new cells. Resistance training at moderate intensity should be done at least twice a week.

Weight-bearing exercise that uses your body weight to stress your bones is also good. Movement that falls into this category includes running, sprinting, and jogging. But it also includes dancing and playing racket sports. Even stair climbing helps encourage bone growth.

Aim for at least 2.5 hours a week of moderate-intensity exercise, divided however you wish. Or, you can do at least 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity exercise. 

Finally, be sure to work on your balance, too. The less likely you are to fall, the less likely you’ll be to break a bone.

Eat sufficient protein

Like all tissues in your body, your bones are made of protein. You can’t maintain your bone or muscle mass if you don't eat enough protein. You can’t build stronger or better muscle or bone, either.

The recommended daily allowance for protein is 0.8 g per kg body weight (or 0.36 g per pound). However, if you want to build muscle and bone, you need more protein than that.

If you do resistance training, increase your protein intake from animal and plant sources to at least 1.6 g per kg of body weight (or 0.7 g or more per pound). Research has shown that the extra protein improves muscle mass and strength, leading to stronger bones. 

Before adding more protein to your diet, make sure you’re actively lifting weights and exercising regularly. Excess protein and a sedentary lifestyle can negatively affect bone health.

Tweak your hormones

If you’re in perimenopause or have reached menopause, your estrogen and testosterone are in decline. Both of these hormones help keep your bones strong.

You may need hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to rebalance your hormones. An HRT regimen can also help alleviate other symptoms associated with menopause, including hot flashes and thinning hair and skin.

Establish your baseline

The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends bone-density scans every two years for women over the age of 65. However, you may wish to begin earlier if you have a family history of osteoporosis or have suffered fractures in the past. The guidelines recommend bone scans for: 

Postmenopausal women with other risks

• Females age 65 or older 
• Males aged 70 or older 
• Anyone on medications that weaken bones
• Anyone with autoimmune disease
• Anyone with a history of fractures
• Anyone who’s received an organ transplant 

If you have risk factors for osteoporosis — such as a small frame or Caucasian heritage — you may want to get a bone-density scan before you’re 65. Then, when you meet the criteria for regular scans, you can compare your aging bones to your more youthful bones. 

If you suspect you’re at risk for osteoporosis, a scan can provide a wake-up call. If we see that your bones are lighter than those of other women your age, we can help you make lifestyle changes that protect or even strengthen your bones.

To find out how healthy your bones are, phone our helpful team or use our online appointment form to book a bone-density test today.