Menopause and bone density- What are the changes and how can you help keep your bones strong and dense?
Menopause and bone density- What are the changes and how can you help keep your bones strong and dense?
Bones are a crucial and important part of our body that we don’t quite think about day to day, bone health generally goes unthought of until something goes wrong like a fracture or a full break and it’s wrapped in a cast or some splints. But bone is a part of our body that is living with us, it is a part of our body that adapts and changes, it is dynamic tissue that without our knowledge or us paying much attention to it, it is constantly breaking down and rebuilding without us having to even consciously think or tell it to. However, I am here to tell you bone health is important and there are things we can do about it especially as we age and especially for women so, let’s get into it.
A woman’s bone density throughout her life:
As women from puberty to our early twenties our bone density in fact increases due to all the right minerals forming nice strong bones, our bone density peaks from here and slightly after. By the time a woman is in her 30’s, her bone density will very much likely be at its peak but then begin to plateau fairly quickly and even at its peak it will be likely to be lower than the average mans bone density at the same age. Once a woman’s bone starts to plateau it often doesn’t stop losing 0.5% every year when she is in her forties and once, she is in between the age range of 50-54, the average age for menopause/perimenopause to start showing signs, she will lose 4.4% of her bone density in this time span.
What are the effects of losing bone density:
Due to the lower peak bone mineral density (BMD) and the quick and vast rate this declines after its peak this makes women more likely to suffer from with osteopenia, which is age-associated loss of bone mass as well as osteoporosis, which is a condition that causes bones to become more brittle, more susceptible to fractures as the inside of the bone deteriorates faster than it can rebuild leaving more gaps and holes within the bone, compared to when they were at their peak density and was dense like tight knit honey comb.
So dense and strong bones really are important for a healthy and long life! Bone responds like muscles in the sense of “if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it” which translates into you can get it to respond and rebuild and get stronger by working them, this is done by load-bearing exercise aka resistance and strength training. So, all in all women can and should:
- Build strong and dense bones in their “peak bone years” (twenties and thirties), to act as a buffer for when they do start to decline.
- Slow bone density loss as they age.
- Reduce their risk of bone injuries and fractures.
- Potentially still increase their bone density after menopause.
- Have and create more opportunities for an active life as they age.
So, let’s get into the how we can make all of those things happen…
3 focuses to do all you “can and should” to help:
Exercise:
- Strength train 2-3 times per week.
- This should be per muscle group (6-8 sets per muscle group per week as an average). Mixing in both high impact and load bearing activity (ensure they are appropriate for your ability level). High impact is exercises such as; low box jumps and jumping jacks, load bearing activities are weight training so exercises such as weighted squats or lunges etc.
- Look for ways to be active throughout your day, every day.
- When doing daily tasks consider the “harder/more challenging options”, that require you to use more of your strength which will help load on to the bones. A simple example would be to carry your groceries if it’s up the stairs or to the car, take more loading jobs when gardening such as shovelling.
Nutrition:
- Consume enough vitamins and minerals.
- There are many vitamins and minerals that can aid a healthy body when it comes to bone density calcium is of most importance as well as vitamin D. Extra vitamins such as A, C, E and K are all important in aiding the bone metabolism. Try eating these vitamins and minerals in foods and/or taking daily supplements.
- Eat enough to keep energy stores high.
- Calories are important for our energy so ensure you are eating enough so the body and bones get the signals to say healthy and strong, extreme dieting and restrictive dieting weakens the bones and changes how the compositions them making the bone marrow fattier rather dense and healthy.
- Eat enough protein.
- Protein is directly linked with maintaining healthy bones and dense bones so ensure you are hitting your protein goals daily. (We have a blog written and posted if you need help working out daily protein intake amounts and sources of protein).
Lifestyle:
- Reduce habits such as smoking and drinking which increase risk factor of osteoporosis.
- Talk to your health care provider regarding menopausal hormone therapy.