The statistics on falls and fractures among seniors are horrifying. Any fall can lead to incapacitation, loss of mobility, pain, and often shortened life and death. Why? Because seniors have less bone density as they age. Yet some seniors have found ways to reduce bone loss.
Bone loss isn’t just something aging women have to deal with. It affects men and women of all races. For sure, those at greater risk for osteoporosis are women in their senior years, specifically Caucasian and Asian women past menopause, but new research reveals five factors that increase risk—for everybody.
According to Dr. Narayan Avadhani, PhD, “In a normal individual, the process of bone degradation and rebuilding proceeds in a very balanced way, but in some people they somehow produce a lot more osteoclasts, and this leads to bone loss and osteoporosis.”
5 Ways to Reduce Bone Loss Risk
How? To summarize Science Daily, mitochondria affects macrophages, the defensive line for our immune system. Under certain circumstances, macrophages can also transform into osteoclasts. The study suggests there are ways to reduce the risk of bone loss:
- Cease smoking
- Abstain from alcohol
- Change (eliminate) certain medications
- Avoid environmental pollutants
- Increase/begin strength training
Strength training diminishes bone loss. Some studies show it may even stimulate bone growth. It all happens on the cellular level.
When you’re young, your body makes new bone faster than it breaks down old bone and your bone mass increases. After the early 20s this process slows, and most people reach their peak bone mass by age 30. As people age, bone mass is lost faster than it’s created.
Strength Training to Reduce Bone Loss
It doesn’t matter if you go to a gym and lift barbells, dumbbells, use a machine, or do sit-ups or push-ups at home. The key is to lift weights that are heavy enough so you can do ten repetitions and repeat each series for three to four sets. If it’s too easy, the weight isn’t enough. If it’s too difficult, use lighter weights.
This simple formula for repeatedly lifting a weight will firm up muscles over time if you are consistently doing it two to three times a week. Even if you aren’t building muscle, you are at least maintaining it. Furthermore, the stress on muscles during resistance training affects the overall strength of surrounding tendons, ligaments, joints, and bones.
Strength training is not just something we should attend to for aesthetic reasons. Sure, muscle definition makes a body more attractive. But more importantly, maintaining strength can prevent falls, slow down loss of bone density, and ensure we seniors can enjoy life to the fullest.
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