Women’s Health Wednesday: Bone health

ALBANY, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) – Osteoporosis is a bone disease that causes bones to become brittle and break easily. While older women are affected most, prevention when women are younger is key.

According to the Office on Women’s Health , osteoporosis is called a “silent” disease because people may have bone loss for many years without any symptoms until they break a bone.

After women go through menopause, their estrogen levels drop. This can often lead to bone loss over time because estrogen plays an important role in building and maintaining bones.

Why Women Are At Greater Risk for Osteoporosis:

• Women are often smaller than men and have a lower peak bone mass
• Women live longer than men
• Declines in estrogen during and after menopause can accelerate bone loss

There are steps women can take before they reach menopause to increase their bone health. In this week’s Women’s Health Wednesday, Dr. Matthew Brennan, of Cohoes Family Care, part of St. Peter’s Health Partners Medical Associates, discusses ways women can best protect their bone health.

Prevention of Osteoporosis:

• Eat a healthy diet with calcium-rich foods
• Vitamin D
• Avoid smoking
• Limit alcohol consumption
• Regular weight-bearing and strength-training exercises

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