Prevention and Treatment


Once osteoporosis has developed, it cannot be cured. However, there are steps you can take to prevent, slow or stop its progress. Here is what you can do:
 

• Eat a diet high in calcium and vitamin D 
  (Dark green leafy vegetables, cooked dried beans and dairy products, such as milk and cheese, are good sources of calcium.  Fish, such as salmon; diary products, such as fortified milk and cheese, and whole eggs are all good sources of vitamin D.  The skin can also synthesize vitamin D from sunlight.)

• Include walking or other forms of weight bearing exercise in your daily routine

• Limit your intake of soft drinks, caffeine and alcohol

• Avoid tobacco products

• Have a bone density scan done to detect loss of bone mass

Several medications are now available to treat osteoporosis successfully. If you are diagnosed with osteoporosis, ask your doctor which one is right for you.
 

• Alendronate Sodium [Fosamax®]: approved for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. Fosamax reduces bone loss, increases bone density and reduces the risk of spine, wrist and hip fractures.
• Calcitonin [Miacalcin®]: naturally occurring hormone involved in calcium regulation and bone metabolism. Slows bone loss in women who are more than 5 years beyond menopause.
• Estrogen Therapy (ET): ET has been shown to reduce bone loss, increase bone density, and reduce the risk of fractures in postmenopausal women. It is effective even when started after age 70.
• Parathyroid Hormone [Fortéo®]: approved for the treatment of osteoporosis in men and postmenopausal women who are at high risk for a fracture. This medication stimulates new bone formation and increases bone mineral density.
   

Risk Factors

Risk factors for osteoporosis that you can modify are:

• Hormone levels: abnormal absences of menstrual periods, low estrogen level in menopause, and low testosterone level in men.

• Anorexia

• Diet low in calcium and vitamin D

• Use of medications such as glucocorticoids and some anticonvulsants

• Sedentary lifestyle

• Cigarette smoking

• Excessive alcohol consumption

Non-modifiable risk factors are:

• Those with a family history of fractures have a greater risk

• Older adults have a greater the risk

• Women are more likely to develop osteoporosis than men

• Caucasian and Asian women have a greater risk (African-American and Latino women have a lower but still significant risk)

• Small, thin-boned women have a greater risk

Websites

Osteoporosis by MEDLINEPlus: a multimedia tutorial on osteoporosis that covers the causes, diagnosis, and treatment. Also available in Spanish: Osteoporosis. This site also includes a tutorial on the bone densitometry test, which is a helpful radiological test for detecting the early stages of osteoporosis.

 

International Osteoporosis Foundation.

 

National Osteoporosis Foundation.

 

National Institutes of Health: Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.