Black Women and Osteoporosis

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Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. Osteoporosis can be prevented and treated.

"Known as the silent epidemic because it exhibits no symptoms, osteoporosis is a disease that affects the strength of bones making them more susceptible to breaks and fractures, particularly in the hip, spine and wrist areas. Healthy bones are continuously being renewed, with old bone being removed by cells known as osteoclasts and new bone being built by osteoblasts. In people with osteoporosis the timeworn bones are destroyed faster than they can be replaced, making them thinner and therefore more fragile," Tereza Hough of the National Osteoporosis Foundation of South Africa notes.

Although anyone can develop osteoporosis, it is common in older women. It is estimated that as many as 50 percent of all women and 25 percent of all men older than 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis. When it comes to specifics, post-menopausal women suffer from osteoporosis more but in reference to race, white women have a higher risk than black women. However based on recent studies from a Medicaid population in Georgia, USA, studied from 1992 to 1994, African-American postmenopausal women were 3 times more likely to die within 3 years of sustaining any osteoporotic fracture than postmenopausal white women.

Black women have higher bone densities than white women, but as the black population ages there will be an increasingly higher population of black women with osteoporosis. Strategies should be developed to reduce the risk of black women for fragility fractures. First thing to consider when seeking to prevent osteoporosis is to check family history. Having a parent or sibling with osteoporosis puts you significantly at greater risk especially if this history is entwined with parents or siblings with fractures. Another aspect worth considering is frame size. Black women exceptionally thin or with smaller body frames tend to have a higher risk because they may have less bone mass to draw from as they age. The use of tobacco is another issue to consider. Tobacco use contributes to weak bones, so tobacco users should be aware of this. A black woman’s exposure to estrogen is important as well. Black women with late menopause and those exposed to menstruation at an early age, your risk is reduced, however, black women with abnormal menstrual periods, experiencing menopause earlier than late 40’s or having ovaries surgically removed without receiving proper hormone therapy, your risk is increased. Black women with eating disorders and victims of breast cancer are also in risk of osteoporosis. Low calcium intake and excess alcohol consumption is a way of life susceptible to being a victim of osteoporosis.

Low-risk strategies to enhance peak bone mass and to lower bone loss, such as calcium and vitamin D augmentation of the diet, should be examined for black women. The risk against the benefits of hormonal replacement therapy should be determined, especially in older black women. Together with reasons aforementioned the African American woman faces more problems because even though epidemiological data show that osteoporosis is a serious health issue for African-American women, but in contrast to the white population, there is a paucity of clinical data to guide clinicians in designing strategies to evaluate and treat African-American women with osteoporosis. This has failed to characterize the disease Vis a Vis this patient population.

Regarding African women, "A definite increase is being seen in the incidence of osteoporosis in modern African women. In light of this fact, I highly recommend that all females include the recommended daily allowance of calcium in their diets of 1 000mg for adults under the age of 50, and 1 200mg for those who have passed the 50 mark. Vitamin D is also a vital component in the fight against osteoporosis and doctors advise that the optimal intake is between 1000 IU and 2000 IU per day," says osteoporosis specialist, Dr Stan Lipschitz.

"The good news is that several steps can be taken to combat the onslaught of this disease. Weight watchers can include calcium rich foods that are not fattening on their daily menus such as nuts and seeds, including almonds and sesame, beans, oranges, figs, broccoli and green leafy vegetables like kale. Furthermore, weight bearing exercises are very good for building bone strength and are great for the figure too," says Hough.

Bone health begins in childhood so having a sedentary life style at childhood will not be advisable. More physically active children consuming adequate amounts of calcium have a higher bone density. Exercising throughout life is very important, and don’t forget that you can increase your bone density at any age.

References:

http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/342/56349.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK45515/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2777641/

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/osteoporosis/home/ovc-20207808https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteoporosis

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Ernie J. Burgher is a bi-lingual freelance journalist and author, and speaks English and French. Ernie writes for SitiTalkBlog.

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