A Matter of Risk

Ironically, in those years when you stood on tiptoes to appear taller, your body was busy brewing the best medicine known to protect you against osteoporosis: dense, sturdy, resilient bones.

Calcium is so important to building strong bones in adolescence that our need for it increases to 1,300 milligrams a day from ages 9 to 18, up from the 800 milligrams that children need daily from ages 4 through 8.

By age 20,98 percent of your peak bone mass should be reached, ideally providing you with enough bone to give you a comfortable safety margin for your critical postmenopausal years, when bone loss is extremely rapid. Estrogen, which is lost after menopause, also helps nurture and keep bones safe.

While genetics are a factor in your risk for osteoporosis, so are lifestyle choices. Smoking, alcohol, lack of exercise, and poor diet are part and parcel of the osteoporosis risk profile.

Here are some recognized genetic and lifestyle factors linked to greater-than-average risk of osteoporosis. Check to see how you measure up.

• Family history of osteoporosis
• History of fractures
• Caucasian or Asian race
• Childhood history of any disease that interfered with nutrition, growth, or exercise
• Slim build (women whose weight falls within the lowest quartile on weight charts)
• Amenorrhea, the abnormal cessation of menstrual periods
• Diet deficient in calcium or vitamin D
• Diet containing too much salt or caffeine
• Diets extremely deficient in protein or, ironically, diets with excess protein
• Heavy alcohol use
• Smoking
• Lack of exercise and physical activity or, inversely, excessive exercise, especially coupled with insufficient nutrition
• Estrogen deficiency (irregular menstrual history, removal of ovaries, menopause)
• Eating disorders or a history of "y°"y°" dieting
• Thyroid disease, hyper-calciurea (too much excreted calcium), and certain other diseases
• Medications such as corticosteroids, anti-convulsants, barbiturates, and blood thinners