Over 50s ensure strong bones!

Many expats/retirees in Thailand have passed the age of 50. One more reason to keep an eye on your bones because your bones literally keep you upright.

As people age, osteoporosis (bone loss) is often an important determinant of quality of life. Age-related decline in muscle and bone mass can lead to fragility and fracture of the bones in the elderly.

This is one of the main reasons older adults end up in a nursing home. If seniors want to postpone possible admission to a nursing home and do not want to lose their independence, it is important to take prevention into account in order to remain independent.

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You make new bone throughout your life (but less and less as you get older), but a lot people think bone is "dead" material. That is not true. The process of breaking down old bone cells and creating new ones continues throughout our lives. It is true that the balance between production and breakdown changes. Bone density is highest between the ages of 25 and 30. It then remains stable for several years. After the age of 45, production slowly decreases and bones gradually become less strong. At a certain point, the balance swings to the negative side and more is broken off than added. If that process of bone decalcification takes on serious forms and bones break easily, we speak of osteoporosis..

Osteoporosis

One in three women develops osteoporosis. During the menopause, the process of bone breakdown accelerates. The female hormone estrogen protects against bone breakdown. The younger menopause symptoms start, the greater the risk of osteoporosis later in life. In addition, women already have smaller and less strong bones anyway, which makes them extra vulnerable. In men, the ratio is one in seven. For them, the process starts about ten years later and is much more gradual. That is why they are less likely to get into trouble.

Prevention

How do you help the body to keep production and breakdown in balance for as long as possible? You can stimulate bone production yourself by eating a varied diet and exercising at least three times a week. That makes sense at any age, including those over 70 or 80. Although the potential gain is not that great - a maximum of 4 percent more bone density - it does help to slow down a (rapid) decline.

Fitness and strength training

Weight training in a gym is very good for the elderly. You stimulate your muscle strength and it is good for your bone density. If you put pressure on the bones, it stimulates bone formation. That is why exercise is so important for strong bones. Make sure that moving is alternated with movements that exert pull on the bones in the back, such as with weights. And in any case, train the body parts that are most vulnerable: the back, the hips and the wrists.

Many Dutch people have osteoporosis

More than 800.000 Dutch people have osteoporosis. These are almost all over the age of 60. More than 148.000 of them have actually been diagnosed with osteoporosis by their GP. The vast majority of people with osteoporosis have no idea about it. They often don't find out until they break something – this happens to more than 80.000 patients over the age of 55 every year. It usually involves a hip, wrist or forearm. In a quarter of the patients, the vertebrae collapse. That can cause serious pain.

Bone fractures and bone density measurement

If you break something over the age of 50 when you would not expect it, for example after a simple trip, it should ring a bell. In such a case, a bone density measurement must be done as standard in the hospital. Unfortunately, this does not always happen in practice. In that case, ask for it yourself.

Source: Health Net