Here are some tips on preventing osteoporosis:
1. Have a regular exercise. Exercise can help you build strong bones and slow bone loss. Exercise will benefit your bones no matter when you start, but you’ll gain the most benefits if you start exercising regularly when you’re young and continue to exercise throughout your life. Combine strength training exercises with weight-bearing exercises. Strength training helps strengthen muscles and bones in your arms and upper spine, and weight-bearing exercises — such as walking, jogging, running, stair climbing, skipping rope, skiing and impact-producing sports — mainly affect the bones in your legs, hips and lower spine. Swimming, cycling and machines such as elliptical trainers can provide a good cardiovascular workout, but because they’re low impact, they’re not as helpful for improving bone health as weight-bearing exercises are.
2. Add soy to your diet. The plant estrogens found in soy help maintain bone density and may reduce the risk of fractures.
3. Do not smoke. Smoking increases bone loss by decreasing the amount of estrogen a woman’s body makes and by reducing the absorption of calcium in your intestine. The effects on bone of second-hand smoke aren’t yet known.
4. Avoid excessive alcohol. Consuming more than two alcoholic drinks a day may decrease bone formation and reduce your body’s ability to absorb calcium. There’s no clear link between moderate alcohol intake and osteoporosis.
5. Limit caffeine intake. Moderate caffeine consumption – about 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day — won’t harm you as long as your diet contains adequate calcium.