Smarten Up: Take The Osteoporosis Quiz :

Osteoporosis sneaks up on you, without you even knowing it. Often described as a geriatric disease with an adolescent onset, osteoporosis must be prevented because it’s not easily diagnosed. Arthritis or asthma will send you right to the doctor for diagnosis and treatment; after all, the symptoms are undeniable. Like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and hypertension, osteoporosis often has few if any symptoms until one day, POW! You’re in the hospital, with a fractured hip, wrist or spine.

In my home state of Florida, our census bureau tells us that there are more people over age 65 than any state in the union. So, we’re really focused on bones here, because one risk factor for osteoporosis is age. But with kids eating fewer dairy products and more soda than ever before, diet is a big part of the problem. Our society is more sedentary than ever.Strike three against us.

We’re going to see more osteoporosis if we don’t change this picture NOW.

Start Saving (Your Bones) NOW
It’s like saving for retirement. When you first start working if you invest dollars into an interest-bearing account, by the time you’re ready to retire, you’re going to be sitting pretty, able to maintain your financial health as you age, even though you may not be getting that weekly paycheck. Take your bone health. Eating a calcium-rich diet and progressively stressing bones means you’re investing in a healthy future. Draining your “bone bank account” by eating a nutrient-poor diet means you’ll have to exist on the “bare bones” of health, and unfortunately you may have a poorer quality of life.

Like type 2 diabetes and hypertension, causes for osteoporosis are strongly linked to lifestyle, and symptoms are silent. What you eat, how much you weigh, and whether or not you’re active are very important factors and make a difference in prevention.

How much do you know about osteoporosis?
1.Osteoporosis means:

a.Broken bones
b.Porous bones
c.Aching bones
d.Strained tendons

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