Healthy Living

By making a few basic lifestyle changes, you may help reduce your risk for osteoporosis and invasive breast cancer. One step alone isn't enough, but taken together these recommended lifestyle changes may make a significant difference for your health.

• Nutrition: Get daily recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D
• Exercise: Engage in regular weight-bearing exercise
• Healthy Habits: Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol
• Medications: Avoid or substitute medications that may cause bone loss

Nutrition
Thinking about the way you eat is important, and now is the time to review your diet and eating habits. By choosing a variety of foods from each of the basic food groups, you can not only maintain a healthy weight, you can be sure your body is getting the nutrients it needs at this stage of your life to help keep your bones strong. According to the American Cancer Society, eating a diet of five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day can help keep you healthy.

Calcium: Research shows that not getting enough calcium is associated with low bone mass, rapid bone loss, and high fracture rates. Over the age of 50, women should get 1,200 mg of calcium every day. Foods that are relatively high in calcium include:

• low-fat dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream
• dark green, leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, collard greens, bok choy, and spinach
• fish, such as sardines and salmon
• foods fortified with calcium, such as orange juice, cereals, and breads
• tofu
• almonds

If you don't get enough calcium each day from your food, you may need to take a calcium supplement.

Vitamin D: Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium. Your body makes vitamin D in response to sunlight. Adequate levels of vitamin D may be lower in the elderly, the housebound, and in some people during the winter (such as in cloudy, northern climates). A daily intake between 400-800 IU per day is recommended. Good sources of vitamin D include:

• vitamin D-fortified dairy products and cereals
• egg yolks
• saltwater fish
• liver

If you do not get enough of these nutrients in your diet, many calcium and vitamin D supplements are available. They are best taken in a split dose with food to aid absorption.

Exercise
Exercise for weight control is an important risk reduction tool as you age.

• Weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, may help protect your bones and provide other health benefits. Exercise also helps maintain flexibility and balance, reducing your risk of falls and fractures. Other types of weight-bearing exercise include anything that gets your heart rate up, such as jogging, low-impact aerobics, stair-climbing, tennis, and dancing
• Resistance exercise (weight training) can help build muscle to protect bones from fractures

Before beginning any new exercise program, check with your healthcare professional, particularly if you have osteoporosis.

Healthy Habits

Quit Smoking: Smoking is not only bad for your heart and lung health, but bad for your bone health as well. Research shows that smokers also may absorb less calcium from their diets. If you smoke and have thought about quitting, now is the time to take charge.

Reduce Alcohol: Research has shown that more than 2 drinks each day of alcohol may lead to greater bone loss. Those who drink heavily are also more prone to fractures due to both poor nutrition and an increased risk of falling. Women who have 2 to 5 drinks daily have about 1½ times the breast cancer risk of women who drink no alcohol.

Talk with your healthcare professional to better understand health risks related to alcohol consumption.

Certain Medications
Certain medications when taken for a long time may lead to bone loss and possible fractures. These medications include:

• Glucocorticoids, which are prescribed for diseases like arthritis, asthma, Crohn's disease, lupus, and other diseases of the lungs, kidneys, and liver
• Certain antiseizure drugs, such as phenytoin (Dilantin^®*) and other barbiturates
• Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogs used to treat endometriosis
• Excessive aluminum-containing antacids
• Certain cancer treatments (ask your healthcare professional)
• Excessive thyroid hormone

If you are taking or think you may by taking these drugs, please discuss the implications for your bone health with your healthcare professional. Do not stop or alter your medication dose on your own. Make sure to tell your healthcare professional about all the drugs you are taking.

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