Unhealthy habits put today’s children at extreme riskof osteoprosis . here’s how to protect them , and yourself. Every time a child takes a soft drink, he,s laying the groundwork for a dangerous bone disease. No, fizzy and sugary drinks don’t cause osteoporosis. But because they’re often a substitute for a glass of milk , kids and not getting the calcium and vitamin D they need to build a strong skeleton.Many of them also lead a sedentary lifestyle, so they aren’t getting the bone – building benefits of vigorous exercise either. These children aren’t just in jeopardy for brittle bones and fracture decades down the road: They could be risk of osteoporosis at a younger age than ever before .
"parants should view this seriously”
A body of osteoporosis experts trying to spread awareness about this bone crippling disease . “osteoprosis strats in childhood but has consequences later in life.” The condition causes bones to become riddled with holes, like the frame of house that’s been attacked by termites. That can lead to broken bones, which in turn can cause deformity ,chronic pain or disability osteoprosis can even be fatal : up to 25 percent of older people who suffer a broken hip die within a year.

Osteoporosis isn’t just your grandmother’s health threat. Although it strikes over 50million women in india,it also menaces over 12million men and unaccounted million more have low bone mass. “ It’s a silent disease and doesn’t get detected in most causes until after the patiant’s first fracture” osteoporsis cause loss of height , pain in joints and back , fractures and fear of fracture , and can be very depressin. So it is important that we adopt preventive measures to save millions of people .”

These ‘s a new medical understanding of the best ways to protect ourselves – and our children . “ simple lifestyle change and proper nutrition will help save your bones” “ The sooner you get moving the better.”

Do all children need supplements?
Ideally ,kids and adults should get their daily calcium guota through a healthy diet. Taking milk ?Dairy products of all types will do the trick. Other good sources include sardines, indian carp, leafy-green vegitables like ragi (finger millet), soya , calcium-fortified juices and breakfast cereal. Encourage your children to have two to three servings of these bone –bulider daily. And if they shun milk because they think its fattening , let them know the latest research shows the opposite is true :kids with the highest milk consumption are also the slimmest , while those who drink the most sweetened beverages , unsurprisingly , are the heaviest .
“ if your child is getting insufficient calcium from his diet , go for supplements” or consult with urs paediatric rheumatollogist. There are many supplements now avilable in market, inclide flavoured , chewable 250 and 500mg tablets. There are also liquid preparations to choose from .but be warned ! calcium is best absorbed in small amounts so don’t give more than 500mg at a time .” adult lacking in this bone – bulding mineral can take 1000mg daily preferably500 in the morning and 500 at night .

What ‘ D’ can Do ?
Vitamin D is essential for our body so it can absorb the calcium it gets from food supplements , and helps in forming new bones. Are you getting enough vitamin D? The AIIMS study in northern india also found that over 80 % of the children also had moderate to severe vitamin D deficiency . “This is extremely worrying” there’s growing scientific consensus among experts that the current guidelines of 200 IU (international units) for adults under 50 , and 400 to 600 IU for older people , are to low .
Even a little more can only do good there is growing evidence to suggest that lack of vitamin D can lead to a host of illness es like diabites, prostate , colon and other cancer, in addition to osteoporosis”
Unfortunately vitamin D is found in just a handful of foods like egg yolk and cod liveroil. People can get this vitamin naturally through exposure to the sun . it is ironic that although we have ample sunshine in our country studies show indians tend to be deficient in vitamin D . and this more so in the case of urban indians because they spend more daytime indoors than rural folk. So make it a habit to be outdoors in the sun for 20 to 30 minutes just after sunrise or before sunset.
Studies also show that skin production of the vitamin dwindles in older people even if they’re frequently exposed to sun . suggesting that a supplement might be the best way to safeguard their bone health .

A TEST THAT CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE
Because osteoprosis often causes no symptoms at all until a fall snaps a bone , the only way to tell if you have it is via a bone mineral density test . this prosedure is advised for all women over 50

USE IT OR LOSE IT
As you age , you lose bone faster than you produce it .over the five to seven years after menopause , women can lose up to 20 %of their bone mass due to oestrogen deficiency . paying extra attention to bone health can lessen the damage , however . Men are also affected by age – related skeletal loss, but not as dramatically , since their larger frames provide a higher peak bone mass and their hormones don’t plunge after age 50. Our skeleton needs regular exercise at every age to stay strong, but we’re getting more and more sedentary . “Physical activity is very critical for retaining bone mass”. Children and adult should exercise to keep their bones healthy : 60 minutes of physical activity a day for kids and 30 minutes for adults. A combination of weight – bearing routines (such as walking , jogging, stairs-clinbing, or dancing pluse resistance exercise like weight – lifting)is the ideal recipe for bone health .
For children , jumping is a fun way to bone up. The researcher contrasted elementry school girls who took gym classes to those who also did ten minites of high – impact jumping exercise , three times a week. At the end of the two – year study , the jumping exercise group had a nearly five percent increase in bone mass .other weight –bearing exercise with kid appeal include skipping , tennis , and team sports , such as football “ Its never too late to adopt bone – frendly habits – exersise , get enough sunlight , have adequate calcium . this way , we can keep our bones healthy and prevent osteoporosis”

For more information consult with physician or physiotherapist