From the age of about 35 years old, it is natural for women to gradually lose bone density. However, after menopause, bone loss intensifies. In the five to seven years that follow menopause, women can lose up to 20 per cent of their bone density. This is quite a startling statistic. In this post, we are going to take a look at the reasons why bone loss speeds up after the menopause, as well as providing some top tips on the steps to take to improve bone strength, including using natural algae calcium.
Why does bone loss speed up after the menopause?
Oestrogen is a female hormone that helps to protect bone strength. Once you have gone through the menopause, your levels of oestrogen will start to fall, and this is why bone strength also depletes. As you are producing fewer hormones, it has a negative impact on your bones. The longer you have oestrogen, the better it is for your bones. This means that if you have a premature or early menopause, it will have a worsening effect later on in life. This is why it is even more important to take the steps to keep your bones strong.
How to keep your bones strong after menopause
There is no way to entirely halt bone loss once you have experienced the menopause, however, there are steps that you can take to slow bone loss down. This is the perfect time to review your lifestyle and your diet. A few simple changes can make a lot of difference, and we have some suggestions for you below.
- Natural algae calcium – The first suggestion is to add natural algae calcium to your diet. This is a whole food, which is proven to increase bone density. Clinical trials have shown that there have been improvements noted in people as old as 80 years old. You are probably already aware of the fact that calcium is good for bone strength, and this is a good way to ensure you get the right dosage.
- Quit smoking – If you currently smoke, now would be a good time to stop. Of course, there are many benefits to gain by quitting smoking, however, did you know that cigarettes are linked to a higher risk of osteoporosis?
- Vitamin D – It is important to make sure you get enough vitamin D. During the summer months, sunlight on your skin can trigger the production of vitamin D. However, during the winter months it is advisable to take a vitamin D supplement to get the dosage you need. Food sources of vitamin D include breakfast cereals fortified with vitamin D, eggs and oily fish. Nonetheless, getting enough vitamin D from food alone is very difficult.
- Diet changes – It is important to eat a balanced and healthy diet, which includes vitamin D and calcium. This will help you to maintain healthy bones after the menopause. Excellent food sources of calcium are cheese, yoghurt, milk, tinned fish with the bones in, dried fruit, seeds, nuts, and green, leafy vegetables, but not spinach.
- Stay active – Last but not least, it is important to stay active in order to protect your bones. You should try to do a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity every week. You can split this into 15 bouts of ten minutes if you prefer. There are many different activities to enjoy, but resistance exercises and weight-bearing exercises are especially important. Also, you should try to avoid sitting for long periods of time, for example, sitting at the computer for hours or watching TV.
Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of why bone density decreases, and how to improve your bone density, even after menopause.
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