Soft lifestyle makes for soft bones

Women need to get out into the sun

• By Mahmood Saberi Senior Reporter
• Published: 21:30 October 17, 2012

If you are found to be predisposed to osteoporosis, regular exercise, proper diet and regular bone testing is essential, says Dr Abdul Rahim Al Suhaili.

Dubai: Lack of Vitamin D, no exercise and poor nutrition can make your bones weak, and one day as you accidentally hit against a wall or bump hard into something with your hip, the femur bone can crack. It sounds scary and it is.

“Normally, the impact of the car door or the elevator door hitting your shoulder should not break the leg or arm bone,” says Dr Abdul Rahim Al Suhaili, head of Nuclear Medicine, Dubai Hospital and Vice-Chairman of the Emirates Osteoporosis Society.

Fact

Foods to eat to beat osteoporosis

Milk, Salmon, Mackerel, Sardines, Eggs and White meat.

Vegetarians and their options:

Green, leafy vegetables, Fresh fruits, Beans and chickpeas, Broccoli, Yoghurt, Sweet potatoes, Almonds and Sesame seeds.

How many minutes of sun exposure on an average every day?:

Between 15 to 30 minutes of sun exposure every day.

Best times are between sunrise and 10 am and between 3 pm to 4 pm. The sunlight should be direct and not through glass as glass filters the ultra-violet rays which are essential for Vitamin D production. Your face, hands and upper arms and legs should be exposed to sunlight.

What are bones made of

Bones are made up of cells called osteoblast, which help form the bone and osteoclast, that help eat away old bone. “This process of making new bone and eating away old bone goes on till the age of 35,” he said. “It does not stop at puberty.”

What does osteoporosis mean?

Osteo in Latin means ‘bones’ and porosis is for ‘spongy’ or ‘porous’, explains the doctor.

Read the full article @ Gulf News.com