Osteoporosis: Why one in 12 men secretly suffers from this ‘old ladies' disease

Sunday is World Osteoporosis Day. And it’s a day all men should pay attention to.

After all, contrary to popular belief, men get osteoporosis too.

And here’s the crazy thing, of all the men who have osteoporosis, 50% will have doctors diagnose is as idiopathic – “cause unknown”. But there are specific risk factors that only apply to men.

What puts men at high risk for osteoporosis?

These risks include:

• Delayed puberty
• Low body weight
• Low muscle mass
• Hypo-gonadism with low testosterone levels.

Plus, if you three of the following apply to you, get your doctor to rule out osteoporosis:

• A family history of the disease,
• Poor diet (especially too much fat and protein),
• History of anorexia or bulimia,
• You smoke, drink alcohol and don’t get enough exercise,
• Lack of calcitonin (this comes from thyroid problems),
• Take chronic anticonvulsant therapy,
• Take drugs that can cause dizziness,
• Use antacids regularly,
• Or drink more than two cups of coffee a day.

Being tested is the first step to dealing with osteoporosis. If your test comes back negative, but these factors still apply, do the following to reduce your risk.

Five steps to reduce your risk of osteoporosis
 

1. Get regular bone scans.
2. Do weight-bearing exercises – they’re crucial to maintaining healthy bones; even a daily walk will help keep them strong.
3. Reduce all items in your diet that strip essential bone nutrients from the body. Cut down alcohol, smoking, carbonated drinks and caffeine. They’re all linked to poor mineral absorption and can remove vitally needed calcium from your body.
4. Small amounts of protein are essential for bone health, but avoid high protein diets. They lead to bone loss because of the way protein is metabolised in the body.
5. Consider nutritional supplements such as the minerals calcium citrate, magnesium, zinc, boron, manganese and vitamins C, B6, folic acid and vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene.

Don’t ignore this warning: Osteoporosis could happen to you – even if you’re a man. Take action today though, and you could prevent it.