• A history of the disease
• A thin or small-framed woman
• History of irregular or skipped periods
• Smoking or drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
• Not getting enough calcium
• Being inactive
• Having taken steroids or other bone-thinning medications
  

During the prime bone-building years of childhood and early adulthood, bone is added to your skeleton faster than old bone is destroyed. By age 30, your bones are as dense and strong as they’ll ever be. After that, bone loss gradually begins to outpace bone building. While you can’t control heredity, you can modify your lifestyle to keep your bones in tip-top shape:

1. Get enough Calcium and vitamin D regularly. Calcium is important for many functions in your body throughout life.  Your needs for this important mineral change over time. If you are age 50 or younger, 1000 milligrams of calcium daily is needed. Once you hit 50, the amount jumps to 1500 milligrams of calcium daily.   It’s wise to consume enough calcium every day since your body takes calcium out of your bones if it doesn’t get enough from your diet.

The Calcium Cupboard                         (Milligrams)

1 cup low-fat or fat-free yogurt                   400
1 cup skim or lowfat milk                           350
1 cup calcium-fortified orange juice           350
1 ounce cheese                                           200
1 cup Soy milk (calcium fortified)               80 to 200   
½ cup almonds                                           180
½ cup low-fat cottage cheese                      150
½ cup frozen yogurt                                   100
¾ cup ready-to-eat cereal                           100-1000
½ cup Baked beans                                    60     

Since yogurt is so high in calcium, it's a great idea to also use it in your favorite recipes. For a plethora of yogurt recipes visit http://www.yoplait.com/Recipe/RecipeView.aspx?rid=33218&cid=450

Vitamin D

Vitamin D regulates how much calcium is absorbed in the body.  Too little can mean not enough calcium is deposited inside bones.  A minimum of 200 IU are recommended daily and some experts are now recommending 1000 to 2000 mg per day. 

Good sources of Vitamin D                 

• Exposure to sunlight*
• 3 ½ ounces cooked salmon - 360 IU 
• 3 ounces canned tuna - 200 IU
• 1 cup lowfat/skim milk - 100 IU
• 1 cup fortified yogurt - 80-100 IU
• ¾ cup ready-to-eat cereal - 40-50 IU
• 1 egg - 25 IU

*The body makes Vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.  About 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure two or three times a week will help provide adequate Vitamin D.

2. Consider calcium supplements. Though food is the best source of calcium, even women who eat healthy foods may not always get enough calcium, especially if they don’t eat dairy foods. Talk to your doctor about making up the difference with supplements. Your body never fully absorbs all of the calcium you take in, but eating it or taking it in several servings or doses throughout the day will help it be absorbed more easily.

3. Look out for calcium robbers (sodium, caffeine and protein). To safeguard your calcium stores, eat less processed, canned and fast foods (they can be high in sodium), as well as chips, pickles and other salty foods. Also, drink no more than 2 cups of coffee a day. Women between 30 and 50 are advised to get about 10 to 35 percent of their total calories from protein each day. 

4. Exercise. Like muscle, bone is living tissue that becomes stronger with activity. Young women who exercise achieve greater bone mass than those who do not. Women over 30 can help prevent bone loss with regular exercise. Besides making bones more dense, exercise maintains muscle strength, coordination and balance, which helps prevent falls and fractures.

Best Bone-Building Exercises

The best bone-building exercises are the weight-bearing kind, forcing you to work against gravity. They are:

• Walking or hiking
• Jogging
• Climbing stairs
• Dancing
• Playing tennis

At least 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity on most days is recommended. Swimming and bicycling, though they help build and maintain strong muscles and have excellent cardiovascular benefits, may not be the best way to exercise your bones.