Build Healthy Bones

Bones do a lot for your body. They provide structure, protect organs, anchor muscles and store calcium. The body is constantly making new bone and breaking down old bone. This process is called remodelling. When you're young, new bone is made faster than old bone is broken down, so the amount of bone mass you have goes up, with age this decreases and you lose slightly more bone mass than you gain.

Lots of things can affect bone health:

• Lack of calcium in your diet - this leads to low bone density and easily broken bones

• Exercise - this makes bones grow stronger, so those who are not as active have a higher risk of osteoporosis than people who exercise regularly.

• Sex - females have a higher risk of osteoporosis than males due to having less bone tissue

• Body size - people with lower body indexes, or those who have smaller body frames typically are at higher risk of osteoporosis as they have less bone mass.

• Smoking & drinking - this can weaken bones and raise the risk of osteoporosis.

• Hormones levels - low levels of oestrogen and testosterone can cause a loss of bone mass

Ways to keep bones healthy:

• Include calcium in your diet

• Get enough vitamin D

• Stay active

• Don't smoke or drink too much

• Maintain an appropriate body weight

Keeping your bones healthy can make a big difference to you should you have a fall. If your bones are strong, the potential for a fall to cause serious damage – such as a broken hip or shoulder – is greatly reduced.