During our youth and as long as we have not yet reached the age of 30, our body constantly makes new bone tissue by absorbing calcium from our food. From the age of about 30 à to 35 years, this amount of newly created bone tissue gradually decreases. This causes bone decalcification or osteoporosis, a condition that makes our bones more brittle. On average, both men and women lose about 0.5 to 1% of bone mass per year. In the case of women, this loss can unfortunately increase to 2 à to 5% per year after menopause.

In addition,  1 in 3 women in Belgium suffer from osteoporotic fractures (also known as fragility fractures) during their menopause. Women are the main risk group for developing osteoporosis because they naturally have lower bone density than men. When they enter the menopause, their hormone balance undergoes huge changes, causing their bone density to decrease even more quickly. There is suddenly much less oestrogen in the body, as a result of which bone tissue is broken down faster than we can produce new bone tissue. Women who enter the menopause before their 45th birthday run an additional risk of osteoporosis.

Consequences of osteoporosis
Although osteoporosis is not dangerous in itself, our bones naturally break faster if they are weakened too much. People with osteoporosis run a higher risk of bone fractures. This can have dangerous consequences, especially later in life. Elderly people who break their wrist or hip experience a huge drop in their quality of life. Fractures hinder their mobility and are often the cause of senior citizens being admitted to hospital or having to move to a residential care centre. In addition, the collapse of the vertebrae is also a result of osteoporosis, which causes the vertebra to bend.

Can you prevent your bones from becoming brittle?
Bone decalcification can, nonetheless, be slowed down to a certain extent by the right diet, sufficient exercise and possibly extra medicines. A lack of regular exercise is one of the leading causes of osteoporosis. At least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every day can help you to minimise loss of bone mass. In addition, you should exercise in the open air as much as possible, because sunlight provides vitamin D and helps our body to absorb calcium from our food.

You can absorb extra calcium by eating enough dairy products every day or by supplementing your diet specifically with calcium tablets. Your body needs calcium to build and maintain your bones and for the proper functioning of your heart muscle. If your body does not get enough calcium from your food, it will take the necessary calcium from your bones to keep your heart muscle working.

If you do not ingest sufficient calcium, you can choose to take extra nutritional tablets with calcium on a daily basis. This enables you to maintain the right level of calcium in your body, with a better chance that your bone mass will decrease more slowly.