Osteoporosis – the Skeleton in the Cupboard

LADY HOLDING HAND

The ability to keep your bones strong depends to a large extent on how your body makes use of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, all of which are incorporated into bone. Of these, calcium is the most abundant mineral in bone. However, more and more evidence is accumulating to show that dietary calcium intake is only one of a number of factors that influence the proper use of calcium in the body. Your intake of magnesium, vitamin D and protein, plus weight bearing exercise, play a significant role. Although our calcium intake has stayed relatively constant, the incidence of osteoporosis has rocketed. Consequently, one in three women, and one in 12 men, has a fracture by the age of 70, most commonly of the hip. In the UK, 50,000 people fracture a bone as a result of osteoporosis every year – that’s one every three minutes.