How to Know If You’re at Risk for Osteoporosis

Many think that osteoporosis is a women's disease but both men and women are at risk. Osteoporosis does attack more women than men, but just as men can get breast cancer, they can also develop osteoporosis. As men live longer, their bones also begin to show a lack of calcium as a result of their diet. You can tell if you are at risk for osteoporosis by evaluating your lifestyle, diet and family history.

The first questions you should ask yourself are: Does it run in your family? Did either one of your grandparents lose their posture as they aged? Was your grandfather one of those elderly people who walk over very hunched and need a cane to get around? Did your grandparents or parents lose more than an inch in height as they got older? Did your grandfather or father suffer from "weak joints" or "brittle bones"? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you may be at risk for osteoporosis.

Weak bones are hereditary, so if any of your relatives suffer with osteoporosis then there is a chance that you have it. If you've had any recent bone fractures (especially the hip or the spine) this can be a sign that your bones have weakened and may not heal as quickly. Losing inches since reaching your full height may also indicate that there is some bone loss.

Next, you need to examine your lifestyle. Life style habits can weaken your skeleton. For example, women lose calcium as they lose estrogen during menopause. Men may lose calcium as a result of incomplete dietary habits and/or poor life style choices. A really poor lifestyle choice is drinking too much alcohol. Three or more drinks a day or two or more for a woman can interfere with the body's calcium absorption reduce the amount of new bone formation. Drink fewer than two alcoholic beverages a day.

Smoking is known to double the risk of hip fractures and lessen bone strength. Excessive beef in the diet is another poor lifestyle choice. The high protein level in red meat causes acid to be released into the bloodstream. In order to counteract the acid, you body has to release calcium stores in your bones to neutralize this acid. All these releases of calcium stores can erode and weaken your bones over time. Limit your intake of red beef to just two to three times a week.

If you believe you may be at risk for or have osteoporosis, talk to your doctor about testing and treatments available to help treat and prevent the symptoms.

Tip: Strength training exercises are one of the best things you can do to prevent osteoporosis.