Bone Health: Learn the Secret to Strong Bones!

To understand what is bone health, it is important to know about the role bones play in your body. They protect your vital organs, support your muscles and collect calcium for use in your body. Bones are formed during your childhood and gradually reach peak bone mass when you become an adult. 

You can check your bone health with a bone mineral density (BMD) test, and compare the result with a healthy person of your age and sex. With this test, you get to know whether you are suffering from osteoporosis, a disease that impacts your bone strength and makes them weaker. You can also learn whether you have an increased risk of breaking your bones. In case you are already suffering from osteoporosis, you can check how the treatment is working with the BMD test. 

Consuming vitamins for strong bones and joints is an ideal remedy to boost your bone health. Apart from vitamins, it is also important to include sufficient amount of protein, calcium, and other minerals like silicon, copper, selenium, manganese, and zinc in your diet in order to keep osteoporosis at bay. To understand the factors that affect bone health, and to know about the best vitamins for bones and other nutrients to strengthen bones, read on.

Factors that impact bone health

• The calcium content in your diet: Low calcium leads to low bone density, often resulting in bone loss and fractures
• Family history: People with a parent or sibling who suffers from osteoporosis are at a higher risk of getting this disease
• Sex: Being a woman makes you more prone to osteoporosis due to smaller and less dense bone structure compared to men and decrease in estrogen after menopause 
• Addiction to tobacco and alcohol: While any sort of exposure to tobacco can make your bones weak, drinking too much can lead to the same consequence
• Movement: If your physical activities are limited, there will be high chances for you to get osteoporosis

Other factors that can affect your bone health include old age, small body frame, eating disorders, excess amount of thyroid hormones, effects of certain medicines, and more.

Vitamins for bone health

The best vitamins for bones include vitamin D and vitamin K2. While the role of vitamin D for bones includes helping the body to absorb calcium, vitamin K2 provides support to your bone health by improving osteocalcin, a protein that is responsible for formation of your bones. Common sources of vitamin D are fortified foods, egg yolks, sardines, salmon, read meat and more. 

Note that there are two most well-known forms of vitamin K2, i.e. MK4 and MK7. You can find a small content of MK4 in your liver as well as food sources like meat and eggs. On the other hand, MK7 is common in foods prepared through fermentation (such as yogurt, cheese, and more). You can also take the right supplements for better bone health. A study conducted among a small group of healthy young women discovered that MK-7 supplements have been more successful than MK-4 supplements when it comes to raising the amount of vitamin K2 in the blood.

Calcium to strengthen bones

When it comes to improving your bone health, note that calcium plays the most crucial role among all the other minerals. The recommended dietary intake (RDI) of calcium is 1,000 mg per day on an average. However, for teens, the RDI is 1,300 mg per day and for older women, it is 1,200 mg per day. 

It is interesting to note that if the amount of calcium in your meal goes beyond 500 mg, the calcium absorbed by your body will be lesser in amount than in cases where you have eaten a lower amount. Common calcium-rich foods are seeds, milk, almonds, leafy vegetables, lentils, whey proteins, beans, and more.

By knowing about all these factors related to bone health, you can take the appropriate measures for strong bones. Add vitamins, calcium and other important nutrients to your diet to keep osteoporosis and other bone diseases at bay. Also maintain an active lifestyle to strengthen bones. In case you need any advice, or are facing any concerns related to bone health, you can consult a doctor online on Bajaj Finserv Health. 

Choose from the best orthopedics near you based on factors like their degree, experience, languages known, and time of availability. The Bajaj Finserv Health website and app has over 8,400 doctors available across more than 45 specialties, offering medical advice  in 17+ languages. You can consult them any time based on your preference via teleconference. You can also get unlimited insta conference facility with a Complete Health Solution Plan available under Aarogya Care. 

These health insurance plans also allow you to avail the following benefits:

• Coverage of up to Rs.10 lakh for two adults and four children under the age of 21
• Network discounts on medical services 
• Pre- and post-hospitalization cover 
• Preventive health check-ups
• Daycare treatment coverage
• Cover for organ transplant
• Cover for recurring or critical illness
• Cover for 25% of the sum assured for ayurvedic and homeopathic treatment when you stay in hospital
• Road ambulance charges
• In-patient hospitalization
• COVID care expenses
• Cover for ICU boarding or ICU room rent
• Reimbursement benefits for lab test and radiology services 

With all these benefits, it becomes easier to prioritize your healthcare, be it about bone health or anything else. Get covered without delay to start enjoying comprehensive healthcare benefits.