Both men and women achieve peak bone mass by their early 30s. Although genetic factors play the greatest role in determining bone mass, other factors are also significant. These include nutrition, past/present use of drugs (particularly alcohol and cigarettes), and the degree to which you have performed weight-bearing exercise or activities.

Attending a London Drugs osteoporosis screening clinic (see sidebar) will help you determine if you are a likely candidate for the disease.

Preventing Osteoporosis

Observing all of the following pointers will help you reduce your personal risk of osteoporosis:

• Know your calcium intake: Most teenagers and adults are not consuming the 1,200 mg recommended daily allowance (RDA) for calcium. (Pregnant and lactating women, and those who have reached menopause, require 1,500 mg of calcium every day.)
  If you are concerned about your overall calcium intake, measure your daily intake for a week, then take an average of the daily amount. (An 8 oz. cup of milk is approximately 300 mg.) If you are falling short, be sure to supplement your intake with calcium-rich foods such as dairy products, canned salmon (with bones) almonds and broccoli. You may also take advantage of the many excellent calcium supplements available from your London Drugs pharmacy. Since calcium requires the presence of vitamin D to be properly absorbed, make sure your calcium supplement includes vitamin D, or that you are getting enough of this vitamin through food intake or from other supplements. (Milk is usually supplemented with vitamins A and D.) Magnesium is also vital to the health of the bones. Many calcium supplements now contain both magnesium and vitamin D to fully support bone health.
• Get regular exercise: Regular exercise is essential for the health of your bones. The best exercise for bone development is weight-bearing activity such as walking, hiking, dancing, running, climbing stairs and playing racquet sports.
• Avoid alcohol, smoking and caffeine: Consuming alcohol, too much tea or coffee, smoking cigarettes and treatment with anticonvulsive drugs can all impact the level of calcium in the bones. Exposure to alcohol increases the production of parathyroid hormone which, in turn, affects calcium levels in the body. Alcohol also increases the excretion of magnesium in the urine, and stimulates the activity of the cells responsible for the breakdown of bone.

Your Pharmacist Says
If you have been sedentary most of your adult life, or have an existing health condition, be sure to check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.

Attend a London Drugs Osteoporosis Screening Clinic

To help you determine your risk factors for brittle bones, London Drugs regularly schedules Osteoporosis Screening Clinics. Clinic participants receive a heel ultrasound to determine bone strength, a risk assessment printout, and a personal consultation with a pharmacist. To find out when your local London Drugs is next hosting a screening clinic, please drop into the pharmacy and speak with one of the staff, or watch for details in upcoming issues of Focus on bettercare™.