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Bone Healthy Lifestyles:
What Women Can Do
Osteoporosis and Asian American Women
TRUE OR FALSE?
Being an Asian American woman puts you at great risk for osteoporosis.
True.
Asian American women are at high risk for osteoporosis.
TRUE OR FALSE?
Weakened bones caused by osteoporosis are just a part of getting older.
False.
People used to think that osteoporosis was an inevitable part of aging. As it turns out, though, osteoporosis is a disease you can do something about. It can be prevented, detected and treated.
Of Special Concern for Asian American Women
- About 20 percent of Asian American women age 50 and older are estimated to have osteoporosis.
- More than half of all Asian American women age 50 and older are estimated to have low bone density, which means their bones are getting weaker but they don’t yet have osteoporosis.
- About 90 percent of Asian American adults are lactose intolerant, which can make it difficult to get enough calcium.
About 90 percent of Asian American adults are lactose intolerant. This means that you have trouble digesting milk due to a shortage of a protein called lactase. If you are lactose intolerant, you might be able to eat lactose-free dairy products or those with added lactase. Another option is to eat other calcium-rich foods and ones that have added calcium. If you don’t get enough calcium from food, consider taking a multivitamin or a calcium supplement. If you are getting enough calcium from food, there is no need to take a calcium supplement.
Take steps now to protect your bones
There are many things you can do to prevent osteoporosis and broken bones. These include getting enough calcium and vitamin D every day, doing regular weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercises and not smoking or drinking too much alcohol. Talk to your healthcare provider about your chance of getting osteoporosis and ask when you should have a bone density test. Take an osteoporosis medicine when it’s right for you.
Additional Related Topics
Having a BMD Test - information about bone density testing, and understanding what your results mean.
Vitamin D and Bone Health - information about vitamin D and how it relates to bone health.
Calcium and Bone Health - calcium recommendations.
Exercise for Healthy Bones - information about exercise for bone health.
Lets Get Talcking Contest
Local Cords!
Many years ago when my family moved from the Northeast region of the U.S. to the Southeast, my mom came to Atlanta before us to get situated before bringing me and my sibling. She was to be gone for approx. six months. During this time, I had a scheduled call with my mom each evening at 7 p.m. We never missed a call. And while we were staying with my favorite uncle, I missed her terribly and never really adapted to her absence ... even for such a needed, progressive change in our lives. About two months after she left, I got my routine call at 7 p.m. I'm excited and recapping my day as usual. As I was talking to her, she walks into the room where I am -- still on the phone chatting away. (We didn't have cordless phones ... back then your phone cord was long enough to travel throughout the entire house :-). I was so surprised that I screamed, burst into tears and passed out a little. When I came to, I leaped into her arms and held on for hours. She was missing us too and had come to surprise us. We ultimately moved to Atlanta several months earlier than planned and my mom and I haven't been separated since (except for my college years). No matter how old I get, that special surprise remains my most precious memory ever, and to this day, I still get butterflies when I'm headed to see her :-).
N. Taylor- Atlanta, Georgia
