Bone Mineral Density
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Bone Mineral Density & Why it Matters
Bone mineral density refers to the strength of our bones. Our bones are a matrix of fibers and minerals, primarily calcium and phosphorus. The density of these minerals give bones their hardness and strength. Bones need to be strong because we do not want them to break. A broken bone impairs mobility, and may require surgery or hospitalization. The effects of a broken bone can become devastating for older individuals. In addition to preventing serious injury, strong bones give us better posture and alignment, and act as an anchor for our muscles, which improves muscular function.
We reach our peak bone density in our early 20s, and then we need to work hard to maintain bone density as we age. For both men and women, estrogen plays a key role in preserving bone density. For women, estrogen declines significantly after menopause, so it becomes even more critical that women proactively take steps to maintain bone density; we’ll talk more about how to do that in the next section. This is why we also see issues sometimes with young female athletes who have very low body fat, to the point where their estrogen declines and they stop menstruating, which hurts their bone density.
In addition to very low body weight, smoking, and drinking alcohol will negatively affect your bone health. Certain medications, including steroids, can also lower bone mineral density. Genetics also plays a role in bone density.
How We Measure It
We measure total bone mineral density using the DEXA machine, and give you your result relative to others your age and sex. As a reminder, a DEXA Body Composition Scan at Benchmark is an excellent proactive screening for your overall bone health, but we are not using it to diagnose osteopenia or osteoporosis. That requires a dedicated study of your hip and lumbar spine.
How to Build & Maintain Bone Mineral Density
There are several factors that will help to improve and maintain our Bone Mineral Density.
Any activity that puts stress on the bone will help improve bone strength. For example, jumping causes the tendon to pull on the bone, which encourages it to remodel and become stronger. Other examples include weight lifting, rucking (which is walking with a weighted backpack) and sprinting. During the pandemic I was only doing yoga and I really wonder why. What happened to my bone density during that time? I was probably losing bone density because I wasn't coupling it with any exercises that applied stress to the bone. Swimming and cycling are other examples of exercises that are excellent for a cardiovascular system, but these will not help maintain our bone density. Similar to muscle, we need power moves, we need weight lifting to maintain our bone density. Remember, you have to use it or you will lose it.
Our nutrition is very important. Calcium in our diet is very important for bone strength; remember, bone is primarily made of calcium. Calcium can come from dairy products, leafy greens and other fruits and vegetables, and fish protein. Absorbing calcium requires Vitamin D. We make Vitamin D through direct exposure to sunlight. Many of us do not get the recommended amount of sun exposure, particularly in the winter months, so we may require Vitamin D supplementation. We will measure your Vitamin D levels in your Benchmark blood test.