No bones about it (Roizen article)

Around 10 million adults in the U.S. have osteoporosis (8 million women and 2 million men), putting them at risk for bone fractures caused by everyday motions like bending, coughing and lifting — and they can even happen spontaneously.

Why is bone health such a challenge for around 17% of folks age 65 and older? Well, a new look at data on almost a million Americans reveals that some unexpected lifestyle choices — along with some expected ones — may be to blame.

The study, published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, found that skipping breakfast and eating a late dinner were surprisingly major risks — increasing a person’s chance of fracturing their humerus (the bone from the shoulder to the elbow), spinal vertebrae and the hip.

And those eating patterns amplified the chance of developing brittle bones, that excess alcohol consumption, smoking, deficient dietary calcium and vitamin D, sedentary behavior and chronic lack of sleep can cause.

To prevent fragile bones, it is important to do both aerobic and weight-bearing exercise week in and week out and get plenty of calcium from low-fat or nonfat dairy, dark leafy greens, sardines and canned salmon and tofu. And if you are at increased risk because of long-term steroid use, smoking, excess alcohol intake, or low blood levels of calcium and vitamin D, talk to your doctor about taking calcium and vitamin D supplements — and menopausal women should consider hormone replacement therapy.