Menopause and Osteoporosis: Genes, Smoking and 9 Other Contributors

Studies show that the average Caucasian woman loses 2 to 4 percent of bone mass per year in the first five years of menopause. This bone loss can begin to occur in a woman's late 30s.

Some of our daily habits and lifestyles are directly affecting our bone health. Take a look at the listing below, and ask yourself if you can improve in any of these areas in your own life.

Family History-check out your family tree and see what kind of risk factors may precede you. Ask questions and talk to your family members to see if there are any patterns of broken bones and or osteoporosis.

Blue Eyes And Fair Skin-these factors along with red hair tend to have less collagen in their skin and in their bones. Black women have the least concern for osteoporosis due to their tendency to have thicker bones.

Smoking-by smoking you are sending poisonous chemicals to the ovaries which in turn will lower your levels of hormones early.

Staying Indoors-when you don't go outside often you are lowering your levels of vitamin D. This vitamin allows the mineralization process of healthy bones to occur. Sometimes just getting as little as 15 minutes will help.

Daily Inactivity- if your daily activity is minimal and you are not on your feet for at least 4 hours or more, you are promoting bone loss. Weight bearing exercise and anything that provides vertical force such as walking, will encourage bone growth.

Your Stature-if you are very thin or tall, you have less bone so you have less to lose. Body fat creates much of our natural estrogen and that helps in bone growth.

Alcoholic Beverages-by consuming 25 g of alcohol per day, you will be interfering with your body's job of laying down new bone, or repairing older bones. Examples would be 2-12oz beers, or 2-40z wine servings.

Coffee Consumption-if you consume 2-8oz cups of coffee you are allowing your body to rid itself of calcium by way of the urine. If your calcium level is high, several servings will probably not matter. Studies do show that drinking tea, black or green, reportedly builds bone mass.

Poor Diets-consuming junk food does nothing to promote good bone health. Instead choose green leafy vegetables and fresh foods.

Steroid Drugs-when you take steroid drugs for chronic conditions such as asthma or Lupus this can speed up tissue breakdown including collagen for bone.

Depression-if you have had to deal with depression for a significant time, you may be at risk for osteoporosis. Depressed people have elevated levels of IL-6, which is an immune system chemical which in turn overstimulates cells that allow bones to deteriorate. You may also have elevated levels of cortisol, which
will also promote bone loss.

Reference--The Wisdom of Menopause, Christiane Northrup, M.D.