HealthInfo Canterbury
Reducing your risk of osteoporosis
Te whakawhāiti i tō tūraru kōiwi ngoikore
If you're aware of the risk factors you can change, you can take steps to keep your bones healthy and strong. This will reduce your chance of developing osteoporosis. To find out about your bone health, you can do a simple test called Know Your Bones.
There are some risk factors that you can't change, but there are still lots of things you can do to reduce your risk of getting osteoporosis.
Stay a healthy weight and eat well
Eating well can help you build strong bones and keep them strong throughout your life. Have a variety of foods every day and include plenty of calcium-rich foods and vegetables and fruit. Also, aim to have some protein-rich food at every meal.
Get enough vitamin D
Try to spend time in the sun every day to get enough vitamin D. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium and improves bone health and muscle function. But exposing your skin to the sun increases your risks of skin cancer and it's important not to get sunburnt. Read more about sun‑smart behaviour.
You can also get vitamin D from some foods, such as fatty fish (salmon, herrings and mackerel), liver and eggs. Some margarine, milks and yoghurt have added vitamin D.
For more information, see How to get your daily vitamin D.
Keep active
Being physically active is great for your health and any activity that makes your muscles work will help your bones become strong. Weight-bearing activities increase your bone strength even further. Examples include gardening, stair‑climbing, tennis and other racket sports, walking, weightlifting, aerobics and dancing. These activities require your muscles to work against gravity.
Yoga and tai chi are good activities to do for balance, strength and coordination, which can help you reduce your risk of falling and breaking a bone.
The Nymbl app has been developed for people wanting to improve their balance and mobility and reduce their risk of falling.
The Keeping active section has ideas about how you can get more active.
Stop smoking and limit alcohol intake
If you smoke, stop smoking. Smoking prevents your body from absorbing calcium and lowers your bone mass.
Drinking alcohol can also cause bone loss and broken bones. If you drink alcohol, try not to drink more than the recommended limit (10 standard drinks per week for women, 15 standard drinks per week for men).
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- Osteoporosis New Zealand
A website with lots of resources, support and information about osteoporosis and fractures.
- Patient.info – Osteoporosis
Includes detailed information about osteoporosis, including symptoms, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and medication.
HealthInfo recommends the following apps
- Nymbl
An app for people wanting to improve their balance and mobility and reduce their risk of falling.
On the next page: Self‑care for osteoporosis
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed September 2023.
Sources
See also:
Review key: HIOSP-24517
