Small people more at risk from osteoporosis

People who are underweight and have small body frames are at greater risk of osteoporosis, according to a health expert.

Dr. Jeanne Flordeliz of the Rehabilitation Medicine of the Cebu Doctors Hospital in Mactan said that osteoporosis is often called the "silent disease", because bone loss occurs without symptoms.

Flordeliz said that people with small frame especially those weighing below 120 pounds are more prone to osteoporosis.

People may not know that they have osteoporosis until their bones become so weak that a sudden strain, bump, or fall causes a bone to fracture or a vertebra to collapse. However, there may be a chronic, dull pain particularly in the lower back or neck, which may become sharp later in the course of the disease.

Flordeliz said that at least 9 million Filipinos suffer from the disease at present. It is estimated to be six to eight times more common in women than in men, partly because women have less bone mass to begin with. Furthermore, for several years after menopause, women also lose bone much more rapidly than men do, due to a fall in their bodies' production of estrogen. Smokers and alchohol drinkers are also prone to the disease.

The risk of osteoporosis increases with age in both men and women.

Getting less than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calcium puts you at risk. Adolescent boys and girls should consume 1300 mg of calcium daily. People from 19 years of age until menopause (age 50 for men) should take at least 1000 mg daily; for postmenopausal women and men over the age of 50, the RDA is 1200 mg daily.

Regular exercise and taking the right amount of calcium should be part of the treatment of osteoporosis. Exercise can reduce the likelihood of bone fractures associated with osteoporosis, and help to retain and even gain bone density.

The prevention of osteoporosis is a lifetime process. Most bone mass is developed before the age of 30. Thereafter, the challenge is to retain the bone mass one has. Efforts to assure the development of adequate bone mass throughout the lifespan should begin with children and adolescents through the consumption of calcium-rich and Vitamin D-rich diets and through frequent weight-bearing exercise.

In mid-life, continued consumption of calcium and Vitamin D and physical activities are important. A healthy lifestyle without smoking or excessive alcohol is helpful. If necessary, calcium supplements should be considered.

With these efforts, osteoporosis is largely preventable for most people. - Jasmin R. Uy