What is osteoporosis? Causes, symptoms and treatment

Osteoporosis is a common type of disease and is widespread in many subjects. But actually, do we understand what is the cause of osteoporosis? What are the symptoms of osteoporosis and what should people with osteoporosis eat?

Osteoporosis: Causes, diet and prevention

  1. What is osteoporosis?
  2. Causes of osteoporosis
    1. Underweight
    2. Genetic
    3. The 'cycle' of women
    4. Thin bones and low bone density
    5. Taking corticosteroids for too long
  3. Symptoms of osteoporosis
    1. Bone and joint pain
    2. Lumbar spine pain
    3. The height of the body is decreasing
    4. Bones are brittle and easily broken
  4. Diet for people with osteoporosis
  5. People at risk of osteoporosis
    1. Underdeveloped condition
    2. Women before and after menopause
    3. Sedentary
    4. Endocrine diseases, kidney failure
    5. Smoking, abusing alcohol
    6. Genetic

What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is the most common bone disease in the world. The disease is more common in women than in men, with a ratio of 3: 1. Osteoporosis has very serious consequences, making the bones brittle, fragile, and very fragile, even when not injured. This disease usually occurs in middle-aged people, because during bone formation begins to decline and the process of osteoporosis accounts for more due to the increase in the number of osteoclasts in the age of 30 or older. up. As a result, the rafts thin, less strong, the number of rafts also decreases, creating hollow cavities inside the bone. People often call this condition osteoporosis or osteoporosis.

So we have certain images of this scary osteoporosis. Patients with osteoporosis should not underestimate the danger level, because when the bone is thin, it means that the porosity of the bone is increasing, leading to an increased risk of fractures. So, what is the cause of osteoporosis?

Causes of osteoporosis

Osteoporosis comes from many different causes, possibly due to heredity or unreasonable diet. The following are specific causes of osteoporosis:

Underweight

Babies born to be underweight, stunted due to diet or unhealthy physical activity and lifestyle are more likely to get osteoporosis. In addition, the risk of osteoporosis is also high in people who follow the unscientific weight loss diet.

Genetic

If a parent has been diagnosed with osteoporosis under age 50, the risk of osteoporosis and fractures in their children will be inevitable and may increase.

The 'cycle' of women

Women may have lower levels of estrogen when it comes to their monthly cycles, which will have an adverse effect on bones. In addition, menopause is also the time when estrogen levels decrease the fastest, it will reduce bone density more at this age.

Picture 1 of What is osteoporosis?  Causes, symptoms and treatment
Osteoporosis is a very common condition in menopausal women.

Thin bones and low bone density

If your child is overweight and the bone mass is too low, the risk of developing osteoporosis will get worse when you enter menopause.

Taking corticosteroids for too long

Long-term use of corticosteroids will adversely affect bones and joints.

Symptoms of osteoporosis

In the beginning, the signs of osteoporosis were not apparent, but were quietly raging, and when there were clinical signs, it was usually the time when complications occurred, the body lost 30% of its bone mass.

Bone and joint pain

Joint and bone aches, especially the fingers that feel aches and pains from the tip of the bone along the long bone. There is also a tingling, numb sensation that sometimes hurts like something biting in a bone.

Lumbar spine pain

Lumbar pain or spread to one or both sides. Pain along the spine and accompanied by spasms of the muscles along the spine, twitching every time you change position.

The height of the body is decreasing

A fairly obvious and observable symptom of osteoporosis is a gradual decrease in height of the body with pain in the back (chest spine) and waist. When worse, hunchback and gait.

Bones are brittle and easily broken

Manifestations of severe osteoporosis are fractures, very brittle bones, can easily break with just a small effect.

Picture 2 of What is osteoporosis?  Causes, symptoms and treatment
Osteoporosis makes bones brittle and brittle.

Diet for people with osteoporosis

Many people wonder what osteoporosis should eat to improve bone health and prevent osteoporosis in the first place. Here are some helpful tips for people with osteoporosis.

Eating right and exercising is one of the two most basic factors that help prevent osteoporosis. Diet should ensure enough protein according to the needs of each age. Without bone protein deficiency will stop growing, the morphological structure of the bone changes, the amount of calcium in the blood decreases. Eating too much protein increases calcium excretion by the kidneys, increasing the risk of fractures.

To avoid osteoporosis, you should use plant-based foods with female hormones like tofu, soy milk, bean sprouts, etc.

Get enough vitamin D to increase calcium absorption by exposing your skin to sunlight in the early morning. Do not drink much alcohol, coffee, or smoke because they reduce absorption or lose calcium.

To build strong bones, you must be getting enough calcium. However, not all calcium-rich foods are worth it. If this mineral content is high but there is an inappropriate correlation with magnesium and phosphorus, it will be difficult for the body to absorb calcium.

Calcium is relatively abundant in foods, but only those foods that have a correlation between this substance and the appropriate ingredients are valuable:

  1. Milk and dairy products have a high content of calcium, which correlates appropriately with phosphorus and magnesium so it is easily assimilated and used completely in the body. In addition to milk, patients should also be interested in products made from milk such as cheese, yogurt, and flan.
  2. Canned fish is also high in calcium; Correlated correlation with phosphorus and magnesium.
  3. Cereals and its products are rich in calcium but harder to assimilate. On the other hand, in cereals there are phytin bonds of phosphorus acid, which together with calcium form insoluble bonds.
  4. Legumes have a better calcium and magnesium correlation, so they're also more valuable than grains.
  5. Amaranth is high in calcium but also rich in oxalic acid, which reduces the absorption of calcium.
  6. Crabs are high in calcium but the calcium-magnesium correlation is not appropriate, so it is of little value.
  7. Shrimp, crabs, fish .: All types of seafood contain quite high levels of calcium, especially small shrimps that eat the shells are a good source of calcium.

So we have the answer to what osteoporosis should eat as well as the causes and signs of osteoporosis. If you are showing signs of osteoporosis, you should quickly go to the doctor for treatment combined with the above diet to quickly improve the disease.

People at risk of osteoporosis

If you are one of the following, be cautious and should see your doctor regularly because you are at high risk for osteoporosis.

Underdeveloped condition

People who are short, underweight or stunted, malnourished from childhood are often prone to osteoporosis due to small stature, the bone mass will be low.

The risk of disease is also high for those who regularly eat and drink deficient substances, especially protid, calcium, vitamin D, K or follow excessive diet.

If this continues from an early age, they cannot achieve peak bone mass in adulthood.

Women before and after menopause

Women give birth many times and breastfeed, but often do not eat enough, especially protid and calcium to compensate, so they are prone to osteoporosis. The process of bone loss in women also occurs faster in men, especially before and after menopause. In particular, menopause will cause the most bone loss because at this time, the body reduces the production of strong estrogen which affects the synthesis of calcium.

Women who have premature menopause or have had their ovaries removed are more likely to have osteoporosis.

Sedentary

Moderate exercise stimulates bone formation. In addition, outdoor exercise also helps the body synthesize vitamin D from sunlight to increase absorption of calcium in the body. Therefore, people who are less physically active or lying dormant due to illness are often osteoporosis.

Endocrine diseases, kidney failure

People with endocrine diseases such as hyperthyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, adrenocortical hyperthyroidism, etc.

Smoking, abusing alcohol

Picture 3 of What is osteoporosis?  Causes, symptoms and treatment
Tobacco and alcohol are enemies of the bone.

Tobacco and alcohol are the main causes of bone loss. Caffeine, such as coffee, tea, and soda, also affects the absorption of calcium in the digestive tract. Tobacco also increases the risk of bone fractures and makes fractures difficult to recover. Therefore, smokers and substance abusers have a very high risk of osteoporosis.

Using some medications: such as anticoagulants, diuretics, asthma, anti-epilepsy (Di-hydan), anti-arthritis drugs (Corticoid) in the long run are very harmful to the bones.

Genetic

Parents with a history of osteoporosis are also prone to osteoporosis if their family has osteoporosis, get tested as soon as possible.

Note: To prevent osteoporosis, pay attention to diet, increase exercise, limit alcohol and say no to tobacco. When you enter middle age or if you are one of the above subjects, you should take calcium supplements. Currently on the market there are many products that provide calcium. However, be careful when choosing, avoid buying the wrong product with no obvious origin.