Too much salt, smoking: enemies of osteoporosis treatment

Osteoporosis is more common in older women and postmenopausal women, but it's often considered a silent disease because there are no symptoms until a fracture occurs. Once a fracture has occurred, the risk of re-fracture increases significantly. That’s why it’s important to diagnose osteoporosis early and modify your lifestyle, including diet and exercise.

Bone is not a tissue that stops growing; it is constantly changing through a process of production, growth, and resorption. Osteoporosis is a condition in which bone volume decreases and strength decreases, increasing the likelihood of fractures. Bone density is at its highest in the 20s and 30s, and women lose bone mass rapidly in the first five years of menopause.

The number of Koreans with osteoporosis increased from 970,000 in 2019 to 1.12 million in 2021, according to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA). 

Women accounted for the majority of patients, with 1.06 million, compared to 60,000 men. 

In particular, the number of women with osteoporosis began to increase in the 50s, when menopause begins and peaked in the 60-69 age group.

Men are much less likely to develop osteoporosis because they don't go through menopause, a time of rapid hormonal changes, as women do. However, osteoporosis does occur in men as well, as calcium intake decreases with age and bone production decreases.

Risks and Consequences of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is dangerous because it significantly increases the risk of fractures. Typically, osteoporosis affects one in two or one in three postmenopausal women. According to the Korean Orthopedic Association, one in two women and one in five men over the age of 65 suffer from osteoporotic fractures. Korean women have lower bone density than Westerners, so prevention of osteoporosis is even more important.

When you have osteoporosis, your bones are less dense, making them more susceptible to fractures from falls and minor impacts. If you have osteoporosis in your weight-bearing vertebrae, you can fracture them just by lifting heavy objects. A vertebral fracture can cause you to lose height and your back to rotate.

Osteoporosis rarely causes symptoms on its own and is often detected when a bone breaks. Fractures of the wrist, spine, and femur are common fractures caused by osteoporosis. Once an osteoporotic fracture occurs, the risk of subsequent fracture increases two to tenfold. The increased mortality associated with fractures is also significant. One study found that death from a femur fracture is highest within the first year, and that even if a person typically has surgery after a femur fracture, they still have a 15-20 percent chance of dying within a year.

Lifestyle modifications for osteoporosis treatment

To prevent osteoporosis, you should avoid excessive alcohol consumption and stop smoking. You should also maintain bone mass by doing proper aerobic exercise and stretching. Avoid salty foods in particular. If you eat a lot of salty foods, it’s easy to lose calcium.

It's also important to avoid creating situations where fractures can occur. Known risk factors for falls include poor lighting and high thresholds, orthostatic hypotension, a history of falls, weak muscle strength, and excessive alcohol consumption. Adequate vitamin D intake, increased physical activity to maintain strength and balance, and environmental improvements to prevent falls are also necessary.

"The number of patients with osteoporosis is increasing every year due to early menopause and aging," said Yang Ik-hwan, head of the Artificial Joint Center at Seran General Hospital. "If you have osteoporosis without fractures, it is important to improve your lifestyle, take medication, and eliminate risk factors for fractures."

According to Yang,  exercise helps maintain balance and reduces the likelihood of falling, which can help prevent fractures.

"Avoid salty foods to prevent calcium from being lost with salt, and get out in the sun for about 15 minutes twice a week to synthesize enough vitamin D for your bones," he said.