Black Women and Osteoporosis
How Can Osteoporosis Be Prevented?
Osteoporosis prevention begins in childhood. The
recommendations listed below should be followed throughout life to lower your
risk of osteoporosis.
- Eat a well-balanced diet adequate in calcium and vitamin D.
- Exercise regularly, with an emphasis on weight-bearing activities such as
walking, jogging, dancing, and lifting weights.
- Live a healthy lifestyle. Avoid smoking, and, if your drink alcohol, do so
Talk to your doctor if you have a family history of
osteoporosis or other risk factors that may put you at increased risk for the
disease. Your doctor may suggest that you have your bone density measured
through a safe and painless test that can determine your risk for fractures
(broken bones), and measure your response to osteoporosis treatment. The most
widely recognized bone mineral density test is called a dual-energy x-ray
absorptiometry or DXA test. It is painless: a bit like having an x ray, but
with much less exposure to radiation. It can measure bone density at your hip
What Treatments Are Available?
Although there is no cure for osteoporosis, there are
treatments available to help stop further bone loss and reduce the risk of
- bisphosphonate drugs: alendronate (Fosamax1), alendronate plus
vitamin D (Fosamax Plus D), risedronate (Actonel), risedronate with calcium
(Actonel with Calcium), and ibandronate (Boniva)
- calcitonin (Miacalcin)
- raloxifene (Evista), a Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator
- teriparatide (Forteo), a form of the hormone known as PTH, which is
secreted by the parathyroid glands
- estrogen therapy (also called hormone therapy when estrogen and another
hormone, progestin, are combined).