The prevention of osteoporosis concerns a set of suggestions concerning the habits and lifestyle of the general population; it is a matter of expedients useful for the PROTECTION of health against a strongly debilitating disease.
Put simply, the prevention of osteoporosis is represented by a set of protective measures adopted to limit the onset of a skeletal disorder.
Osteoporosis is characterized by impaired bone strength, which predisposes to an increased risk of fracture; PREVENTION is certainly the most important aspect in the fight against osteoporosis.
First of all, the prevention of osteoporosis must take into consideration three fundamental points, which I would define as the major risk factors:
- The achievement or not of the peak of infant bone mass
- Loss of bone mass in adulthood
- Additional factors that contribute to the increased incidence of fracture events
Osteoporosis intervenes on the integrity of the bone in 2 ways: on bone density, which alters the parameter of the mineral grams by area of tissue, and on the quality of the bone, therefore on the architectural structure, on the turnover, and on the mineralization of the skeleton .
Osteoporosis differs in primary and secondary; the primary is divided into post-menopausal (purely female) and senile (linked to the third age), while the secondary depends above all on the incidence of other diseases or the use of drugs to which it is frequently associated (eg cortisone drugs); the prevention of osteoporosis must take into account all the predisposing risk factors for both primary and secondary pathology.
If it is true that the first risk factor is the failure to achieve peak bone mass, to optimize the prevention of osteoporosis it is necessary to take into account all the most important factors that can affect this parameter:
- Genetic factors and / or familiarity, and hormonal factors (levels of estrogens and androgens, growth hormone)
- Nutrition (supply of calcium, vitamin D and, most probably, also of vitamins C and K)
- Lifestyle (physical activity, exposure to UV rays, cigarette smoking habit, excessive coffee consumption)
- Congenital diseases (cystic fibrosis, homocystinuria, imperfect osteogenesis, etc.), chronic diseases and prolonged pharmacological treatments (corticosteroids).
RECOMMENDED CALCIUM RANGE AND EXPOSURE TO THE SUN FOR THE CALCIFEROL SYNTHESIS
NB. By solar exposure we mean the typical of the late spring, summer and first-autumn period, in which the light beams are sufficiently intense to stimulate the synthesis of vitamin D.
Bone health is a process that must develop throughout life in both males and females; in this regard, I propose a quote from the "Guidelines for the prevention of osteoporosis" disclosed by the Ministry of Health:
The key steps that should be pursued at all ages to achieve a valid prevention of osteoporosis can be summarized as follows:
1. follow a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D
2. practice physical exercise in relation to body weight
3. following healthy lifestyles (without alcohol, smoking or drugs)
4. and, when appropriate, perform tests to define bone mineral density and possibly undergo appropriate therapies.
For the prevention of osteoporosis it is also appropriate to consider that specific recommendations correspond to each age. In children and adolescents it is essential to guarantee a diet rich in calcium, adequate synthesis (and exogenous intake) of vitamin D, the practice of regular physical activity and monitoring of the hormonal balance.
In adults and the elderly instead, in addition to ensuring calcium and vit. D, it is essential that abuses of: alcohol, smoking and caffeine do not occur. Physical activity continues to play a fundamental role, as does the prevention of other diseases that can alter the integrity of the skeleton. For women it would be advisable to consider the possibility of undertaking hormone replacement therapy at the time of menopause.
For the prevention of secondary osteoporosis the same principles apply, with the difference that it is often INDISPENSABLE to intervene on the correlated pathology through a specific pharmacological therapy.
Bibliography:
- Guidelines for the prevention of osteoporosis - Department of prevention and communication. Directorate-General for Veterinary and Food Health. Office XII - Ministry of Health.
- Orthopedic rehabilitation. Second edition - SB Brotzman, KE Wilk - Elsevier Masson - cap7 - pag 531
- Osteoporosis. 10 golden tips for prevention and treatment - chapter 3 - page 73:79
