Ways To Battle Brittle Bones

Sep 23 2007 Dr Gareth Smith

Family Casebook Osteoporosis

OSTEOPOROSIS is a common and dangerous condition that mainly affects post-menopausal women.

The Duchess of Cornwall's mother died from the affliction - known as brittle bone disease - and Camilla is now president of the National Osteoporosis Society.

Bone is a living tissue that constantly regenerates by getting minerals and vitamins from your diet.

Our body gets less efficient at this as we age and the loss of sex hormones after menopause makes it doubly difficult for minerals to be deposited.

This makes bones fragile. There are several treatments. Hormone replacement therapy allows the body to remain efficient at absorbing calcium but there are side effects.

Bisphosphonates are non-hormonal drugs that improve the production of bone, making fractures less likely.

The most simple treatment is calcium supplements - take over 700mg of calcium a day, equivalent to a pint of semi-skimmed milk.