These include exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet. However, lifestyle changes may not be enough if you have lost a lot of bone density. There are also several medications to consider. Some can slow your bone loss and others can help rebuild bone.
What to know about reversing osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is not reversible, but medication, a nutrient-dense diet, and weight bearing exercise can help prevent further bone loss and rebuild bones.
While you can never regain the bone density you had in your youth, you can help prevent rapidly thinning bones, even after your diagnosis. Here's a breakdown of five lifestyle steps to help you on the road to better bone health.
The bone-building phase in young adults -- at its speediest -- takes three to four months, and it may take a lot longer if you have osteoporosis or are older. So you won't be seeing big changes on any bone density tests after your first week of working out.
Exercise
Just 30 minutes of exercise each day can help strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercises, such as yoga, tai chi, and even walking, help the body resist gravity and stimulate bone cells to grow. Strength-training builds muscles which also increases bone strength.
A: It varies. If you follow your doctor's instructions and allow for adequate rest and recovery time, your bone should heal within three to six months. More extensive injuries, especially those that involve a joint, may require two years or more for optimal recovery.
Get enough calcium, vitamin D, and protein each day. Low-fat dairy; leafy green vegetables; fish; and fortified juices, milk, and grains are good sources of calcium. If your vitamin D level is low, talk with your doctor about taking a supplement.
Weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, jogging, and climbing stairs, can help you build strong bones and slow bone loss. Avoid substance abuse.
When you exercise regularly, your bone adapts by building more bone and becoming denser. This improvement in bone requires good nutrition, including adequate calcium and Vitamin D. Another benefit of exercise is that it improves balance and coordination.
The older you get, the harder it is to maintain bone strength. “We continue to build bone mass until age 30,” says Tina Dreger, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Weight-bearing aerobic activities
Examples include walking, dancing, low-impact aerobics, elliptical training machines, stair climbing and gardening. These types of exercise work directly on the bones in your legs, hips and lower spine to slow mineral loss.
Low bone density can lead to serious medical conditions that could result in bone fractures. The most worrisome condition is osteoporosis, where low bone density causes holes inside the bone to widen and the outer walls of the bone (the cortex) to thin. This causes the bone to be more fragile.
Exercise. Specifically weight training and walking are beneficial for increasing bone density in middle-aged and older people [77]. Regular weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercises can reduce the risk of falls and fractures [78, 79, 80, and 81].
Men who began treatment at age 50 had a life expectancy of 18.2 years, while the life expectancy for a man beginning treatment at 75 was an average of 7.5 years. For women, the figure was 26.4 years for those beginning treatment at 50 and 13.5 years for those beginning treatment at 75.
A bone density test cannot be taken at home.
Caffeine consumption has been reported to decrease bone mineral density (BMD) (2–4), increase the risk of hip fracture (5–8), and negatively influence calcium retention (9–11). However, most of the studies reported no overall association between caffeine intake and BMD, fracture rate, or calcium metabolism (12–21).
You will improve over time. For the over 70s, there's also evidence to show standing on each leg for one minute three times a day can help improve hip bone mineral density. Stronger hip bone mineral density means if you do fall you are less likely to fracture.
The best bone-strengthening activities are weight-bearing exercises. Weight-bearing exercises mean those where your feet touch the ground, such as walking and jogging. These activities gently pressure the bones to encourage them to rebuild and become denser.
Getting enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet can help maintain bone strength and lessen your risk of developing osteoporosis.
So, on that note, which is the best fruit for bones? Oranges, bananas, plantains, prunes, grapefruits, strawberries, papaya, pineapples, and guavas are examples of fruits high in vitamin C. In addition, fruits rich in vitamin K, like figs, blueberries, raspberries, plums, and grapes are healthy for bones.
Some ideal nuts for osteoporosis prevention include almonds, sunflower seeds, or pistachios. Eat a handful each day as a snack to promote bone health.