Not just for the ladies
Gentlemen, I’m going to hazard a guess that you’ve been passing those articles on osteoporosis on to the women in your life for their reading pleasure, and not sitting down and reading them yourself. I hate to break it to you, but your bones are not off the hook.
It’s a common misconception that osteoporosis is a problem that afflicts only those of the fairer sex. In fact, even your doctor may have underestimated how common the risk of osteoporosis is in men. A group of researchers are working to educate your doctor by developing guidelines so that he’ll be able to diagnose, treat, and manage any osteoporosis you may exhibit, as well as figure if you fall into a higher risk category.
Here’s something you can share with your doctor: One in eight men over the age of 50 has osteoporosis, whereas one in four post-menopausal women have it.
And a sobering statistic that you need to be aware of is that one in three men will die after suffering a fracture, where only one in five women will die after a fracture. So, it’s better to be aware of your risk or whether or not you have osteoporosis so you can handle it accordingly. One of the most important things you can do is get enough vitamin D. First, you need to know your blood level: Be sure to check the only accurate measure, and that is 25-hydroxy vitamin D. Anything below 30 nanograms per milliliter puts your bones at risk, since you need vitamin D to properly absorb calcium. Most people, including guys, should get a minimum of 1000 IU’s of vitamin D3 in supplement form in addition to sunlight, since there is very little of it in our food (fish such as salmon and sardines and smaller amounts in milk products).
And ladies, please pass this information back to the men in your life.
