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There are a number of ailments that women are actually at risk for developing without actually realizing it. For example, osteoporosis risk factors for women are much more significant than for men in many situations. Older women simply had to accept some things in the past, such as back pain, hunched backs and frailty, before doctors came to understand anything about osteoporosis. Now, however, there are a number of steps that girls and women can take in order to avoid these problems. Osteoporosis is threatening 44 million Americans, and 68% of these are women, according to reports by the National Osteoporosis Foundation. Osteoporosis is actually highly preventable, and has a lot to do with the behaviors that are developed by women during their childhood, as well as during their adolescence and into their early adult years as well. These behaviors can play a truly significant role in the disease and its development. This is because our bodies are building up most of their bone mass until we reach the age of 30, and this is the point where new bone is no longer forming, and the new focus is placed on simply maintaining the old bone. It is never too late to begin to work on keeping bones strong, avoiding the occurrence of fractures. Your body is going to do whatever it can in order to repair damage to the bone, but you also have to be willing to provide the tools to make it happen, such as the adequate consumption of calcium, as well as weight-bearing types of physical activity. The osteoporosis risk factors that can affect women can include:- Being a female, as females are much more likely than men to develop osteoporosis,
- Increasing in age, as bone density begins to break down with age when not properly cared for,
- Women that have small and thin-boned frames,
- Ethnicity, as the women that have the greater risk are white women and women of Asian descent,
- Family history of osteoporosis,
- Issues and imbalances with sex hormones, such as estrogen loss as a result of menopause and infrequent menstrual periods and cycles, as both may increase your risk,
- Experience with anorexia,
- A diet that is low in vitamin D or calcium,
- Using certain medications, including some anticonvulsant medications and particularly glucocorticoids.
- Living a lifestyle that is particularly sedentary,
- Smoking,
- Excessive drinking of alcohol
If you think that you are at risk for developing osteoporosis, then it would be wise for you to talk with your doctor. Your doctor will be able to tell you what you can do in order to prevent issues in the future. 2012-01-21
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