Is It Time for Your Bone Density Screening?

Osteoporosis, a condition that can cause bones to become weak and brittle, can sometimes go undetected because there are generally no visible symptoms of low bone density. Without any tell-tale signs, bones gradually deteriorate without your knowledge. Brittle bones are not only a danger if you fall or have an accident—with bones in a weakened condition, mild stresses such as bending over or coughing can cause a fracture. 

If you or your doctor is concerned about your bone density, they may recommend something called a bone density test that will determine if you have osteoporosis. Based on the results of your screening, you can develop a treatment plan along with your healthcare provider. For more information about bone density screenings—and if you should have one—read below. 

What is bone density?

Bone density is the amount of bone mineral found within bones that gives them their strength. Loss of this mineral building block makes bones brittle and susceptible to fractures. Bone density is highest in young adults. Around the age of 40, bone density begins to be lost in small amounts. A person in their 40s can expect to lose 1% of their bone density each year. This is due to a number of factors, including: 

• Age-related changes in hormone levels
• Nutrition deficiencies
• A sedentary lifestyle
• Obesity

Why is it important to get a bone density test?

A bone density test is a simple, painless screening that uses a bed-type scanner to x-ray the bones. The exposure to the x-ray on a full body bone scan is safe and far less than that of other types of x-rays. Women are four times more likely than men to suffer from osteoporosis. However millions of men in the US still suffer from osteoporosis too, Hip fractures are one of the most serious injuries associated with the disease, with over half of people with a hip injury never regaining their full mobility. 

Who should get a bone density screening? 

Most young, healthy people do not need a bone density test. However, bone density test procedures are recommended for people in certain risk groups for osteoporosis. These include:

• Women over 65
• Men over 70
• People over 50 with a history of bone fractures, arthritis, or history of low BMI
• People who have lost over an inch of height
• Long-term users of steroid medications

What is a normal bone density?

Bone density is measured by what’s known as a T-score. This score uses the baseline score of a healthy 30 year-old. Your bone density is compared to this ideal score.

The lower the T-score, the lower your bone density. A score -1.0 or above signals normal bone density, while a T score between -1.0 to -2.5 means you have low bone density. A T score of -2.5 or below is a sign of osteoporosis. 

Osteopenia and osteoporosis are not reversible, though they can be slowed down with the right medication and lifestyle changes. 

What foods improve bone density? 

It’s relatively easy to get the calcium and supporting nutrients that help bones stay strong and dense. Even if your bone density test came back low, adding in foods that support bone health can give your body what it needs to stop further damage.

Here are some foods that can help: 

• Greens like kale, broccoli, cabbage
• Citrus fruits such as grapefruit, oranges, even fortified orange juice
• Fatty fish like salmon, trout, and sardines
• Nuts and Nut Butter including almonds, walnuts, and pecans
• Beans such as black beans, kidney beans, edamame, and pinto bean

What are some ways I can improve my bone density? 

Weightlifting and strength training 

Exercising with free weights, resistance bands, or weight machines not only builds muscle, it also strengthens bones at the same time. That’s because these exercises put a controlled amount of stress on bones. This signals the body that your bones are active and new bone cells should be made. It’s a use-it or lose-it strategy that works just as well for weight-bearing aerobic exercise like jogging or cardio-heavy dance workouts.

Eating more vegetables 

It’s a common strategy for good health—eat your veggies. Thankfully, it’s a relatively inexpensive way to make a positive impact on your bones. Not all veggies are equal bone-builders however. Improve bone density by adding more dark green vegetables to your diet. These include Chinese cabbage, kale, and collard greens. Sweet potato is also a versatile veggie that can be included in multiple meals throughout the week. Not only does the spud contain calcium for bone density, but it also adds magnesium and potassium to your diet. Both of these nutrients help maintain calcium levels and prevent further bone loss.

It’s important to note that some veggies diminish calcium absorption. Although they’re packed with nutrients, foods with oxalates, like spinach, rhubarb, and beet greens won’t contribute much to your daily calcium intake.

Consuming calcium throughout the day 

Most multivitamins on the market contain the daily recommended value of calcium for the day. There’s also specific supplements just for calcium intake. But you don’t need to just rely on supplements. Many foods are also fortified with calcium. For instance, plant-based milks and orange juice both have added calcium.

Eating foods rich in vitamins D and K 

Most people know calcium is good for bone density, but it’s easy to overlook the role both vitamin D and K play in the process. Vitamin K helps build stronger bones by being a binding link between calcium and other minerals important to bone strength. Vitamin D helps promote strong bones by binding calcium and other minerals together, which helps aid bone density.

Maintaining a healthy weight 

While obesity can be a risk factor for bone density loss, underweight individuals are also at risk, particularly those with an eating disorder. There may even be a correlation between an unhealthy low body mass index in younger years and an increased risk for osteoporosis later in life.

Avoiding a low-calorie diet 

Calorie-restrictive diets that encourage dieters to go below the recommended calorie intake can cause an increase in bone marrow fat. This fat diplaces bone marrow, making bones less dense and weaker. Adding rigorous exercise onto a low calorie diet also negatively impacts bone density.

Eating more protein 

Protein is a key element to bone health. Most people think of meat and cheese when looking to add protein but there’s other options. Tofu is not only a good source of protein, it’s also rich in calcium. Aim for 40-60 grams of protein a day.

Eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids 

Omega-3s help boost the calcium levels in your bones. Since these fatty acids provide multiple benefits, from fighting arthritis and inflammation to helping prevent cancer, they’re worth adding to your diet. Cold-water fatty fish like salmon, flaxseed, soybean oil and eggs all offer abundant amounts of omega-3s.

While you can help strengthen your bones through diet and exercise, a bone density screening is the only way to know if you have or are at risk for osteoporosis. You and your doctor can use the results of this screening to determine a treatment plan that involves treating your bone density levels. Through diet, exercise, and mediation, you can prevent breakage and protect your bones. Talk to your healthcare provider about your need for a screening today. 

Sources:

• Osteoporosis – Symptoms and causes. (2021, August 21). Mayo Clinic. 
• Low Bone Density. (2019, November 6). Yale Medicine.
• Bone density test. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. 
• Osteoporosis: What You Need to Know as You Age. (n.d.). Johns Hopkins Medicine. 
• Alswat K. A. (2017). Gender Disparities in Osteoporosis. Journal of clinical medicine research, 9(5), 382–387. https://doi.org/10.14740/jocmr2970w. 
• Hip fracture – Symptoms and causes. (2020, March 27). Mayo Clinic. 
• Weiss, C. (2020, September 22). Mayo Clinic Q and A: Who should have a bone density test? Mayo Clinic News Network.
• Bone health: Tips to keep your bones healthy. (2021, March 6). Mayo Clinic. 
• Strength training: Get stronger, leaner, healthier. (2021, May 15). Mayo Clinic.
• NHS website. (2022, February 11). Food for healthy bones. Nhs.Uk.
• The effects of vitamin K-rich green leafy vegetables on bone metabolism: A 4-week randomised controlled trial in middle-aged and older individuals. (2020, June 1). ScienceDirect. 
• Castiglioni, S., Cazzaniga, A., Albisetti, W., & Maier, J. A. (2013). Magnesium and osteoporosis: current state of knowledge and future research directions. Nutrients, 5(8), 3022–3033. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu5083022. 
• Finkielstein, V. A., & Goldfarb, D. S. (2006). Strategies for preventing calcium oxalate stones. CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l’Association medicale canadienne, 174(10), 1407–1409. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.051517. 
• Merz, B. (2015, October 1). How well does calcium intake really protect your bones? Harvard Health.
• Elshaikh, A. O., Shah, L., Joy Mathew, C., Lee, R., Jose, M. T., & Cancarevic, I. (2020). Influence of Vitamin K on Bone Mineral Density and Osteoporosis. Cureus, 12(10), e10816. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.10816. 
• Shapses, S. A., & Sukumar, D. (2012). Bone metabolism in obesity and weight loss. Annual review of nutrition, 32, 287–309. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.nutr.012809.104655. 
• Spurny, M., Jiang, Y., Sowah, S. A., Schübel, R., Nonnenmacher, T., Bertheau, R., Kirsten, R., Johnson, T., Hillengass, J., Schlett, C. L., von Stackelberg, O., Ulrich, C. M., Kaaks, R., Kauczor, H. U., Kühn, T., & Nattenmüller, J. (2020). Changes in Bone Marrow Fat upon Dietary-Induced Weight Loss. Nutrients, 12(5), 1509. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12051509. 
• Bonjour J. P. (2011). Protein intake and bone health. International journal for vitamin and nutrition research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Vitamin- und Ernahrungsforschung. Journal international de vitaminologie et de nutrition, 81(2-3), 134–142. https://doi.org/10.1024/0300-9831/a000063. 
• Sharma, T., & Mandal, C. C. (2020). Omega-3 fatty acids in pathological calcification and bone health. Journal of food biochemistry, 44(8), e13333. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfbc.13333.