Women Bone Health

Hello, I’m Dr Smita Vats and I’m a practising gynaecologist in Gurgaon from over a decade now. Today, we will be talking about the prevention of fractures and bone health protection in women.

Women form the axis of the basic framework of the society and they are the basic pillars of strength of the healthcare network of the family and the society. Yet they tend to neglect their own health in their daily responsibilities of workplace, and the household duties. It is important to know and understand that bone health is to critical to the day to day quality of life as well as the overall health of the individual. There are certain basic differences between the bone metabolism of men and women and it is important to understand those so that you can take proper care of your bones. This is because after puberty the rate of bone deposition and bone strengthening is faster in men as compared to women and the peak bone mass attained at the age of 25 years is more in men as compared to women. Thereafter, the bone’s mass stays constant in men whereas in women, the additional challenges of pregnancy and breast feeding put an added demand of calcium. If proper calcium supplement does not happen during pregnancy and breast feeding, then the extra demands of calcium of the baby are met through the calcium of the body of the mother and that leads to weakening of the bones, ligaments, and joints, later on in life. Moreover, after the age of fifty, after menopause, the rate of bone resorption and development of osteoporosis in women is much faster as compared to men. So all these factors along with certain lifestyle factors which include physical activity, dietary factors, and the other lifestyle modifications like smoking, alcohol intake etc. does hamper the bone health of an individual and should be looked after.

That brings us to the question as to how to look after the bone health of a woman properly?

First and foremost is the dietary and nutritional factor. Calcium and Vitamin D are the most important nutrients which are responsible for the proper bone strength of the body. Calcium intake, at least one thousand to twelve hundred milligrams per day is recommended. It can be achieved through dietary elements like milk and milk products – yogurt, cheese, curd etc. Apart from egg, meat, mutton, chicken, and other vegetarian products like wheat, raggi, soya bean and fruits and vegetables like black grapes, cauliflower, cabbage, beetroot, pistachio, almonds, all are great sources of calcium. It is important to remember that if the dietary factors do not meet eh regular demands of the body for calcium then one should be taking calcium supplements as prescribed by the doctor, especially during pregnancy and breast feeding women should not neglect the intake of calcium during those times. Apart from calcium, the other important aspect is the Vitamin D intake. The daily requirement of Vitamin D is about two hundred to four hundred international units in a day. The main source of Vitamin D is sunlight and as a result, in the urban population when people are not moving around too much in the sun or whenever they go out they are fully covered or using sunscreen. There is a high incidence of Vitamin D deficiency in this population. Apart from this, people who live in higher altitudes, have a dark skin colour, or are obese also have a risk of Vitamin D deficiency. Hence, such people should be taking Vitamin D supplements as subscribed by the doctor and especially vegetarians because the only dietary source of Vitamin D is through cog liver oil, fish, liver so that leaves very few options for the normal vegetarian population to attain Vitamin D through dietary intake.

Then the other aspect which is very important is the physical activity and regular physical exercise. At least half an hour to forty-five minutes of regular physical exercise is a must. To improve blood circulation and bone health and muscle health in the body. This is also important to improve the overall tone and balance of the body so as to prevent falls and fractures and the risks of injury which may hamper the quality of life in her later age groups. Apart from this, smoking, intake of alcohol etc. can also accelerate bone resorption and also deteriorates your bone health. Hence, it is important to look after all these factors.

For any further queries or any further details, you can send me queries through Lybrate or can meet me personally at my clinic in GNS Hospital or The Gynae Point near South City 2.

Thank you