Osteoporosis is a disease common to women over 50. Although it also hits men and can surface before the menopause, incidence shoots up among women who are beyond their childbearing years.

Hip, cervical and wrist fractures are among the consequences, and make it hard for sufferers to lead a normal life. These breaks occur in at least half of women with osteoporosis. The disease slowly eats away at bone mass. The best way to fight it is with prevention. Besides exercise, strategies that have proven efficient include a balanced diet with foods rich in calcium and vitamin D.

What you should eat
Up to age 30, the body gains bone density. At that point the bone development halts and around 40 the density starts to fall. It is a natural process which can however be accelerated by osteoporosis, which in turn is associated with a drop in estrogen levels in women.

It has been proven that a diet rich in calcium is a good way to avoid the disease. Dairy products like yogurt, milk and cheese are essential during childhood, youth and adulthood. Age 30 marks the line at which the body begins to utilize this mineral less efficiently. After that age the body still needs it, but burns it less cleanly. Therefore it is fundamental to ingest adequate amounts of calcium from childhood on. The World Health Organization recommends a daily minimum of 1,000 mg a day for a 10-year-old child, 1,500 mg for adolescents, 1,000 mg for adults and 2,000 for women who have undergone menopause.

Besides dairy goods, calcium is present in oats, legumes and grains, as well as fish, green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach, almonds and figs. A rule to keep in mind is don't overcook these foods so they don't lose nutrients.

But an adequate supply of calcium is useless unless accompanied by proper intake of phosphorus, fluoride and vitamin D. These are essential for the calcium to be absorbed by the body. This relationship shapes one's diet and makes it essential to eat foods like eggs, carrots, butter and fish oil, all rich in vitamin D.

Another key point is that in order to synthesize vitamin D you need sunlight, so getting a bit of sun (but in moderation) is a good idea. Fluoride and phosphorus are found in shellfish, chard, cabbage, tomatoes, bananas and fish.

What foods to avoid
These products help prevent the appearance of osteoporosis. But it does no good to eat them in abundance if you don't limit intake of other foods. In excess they can hinder the body's use of calcium. Its assimilation by the intestine can be blocked by an excess of fiber or proteins.

As far back as 1970 the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition said high intake of proteins was a key factor in the emergence of osteoporosis. So don't overdo it (a normal level of consumption is OK) on certain vegetables rich in fiber (several studies point to a higher incidence of the disease among vegetarian women) or meat.

Coffee and cola drinks are out too, and so is tobacco. The reason is they all accelerate the decalcification of the body. Nor is good to use a lot of salt. Extreme skinniness and obesity act as risk factors when it comes to developing the disease, so it is best to be at your proper weight.

Other factors����
Besides diet there are other factors involved in having healthy bones. Sustained physical exercise is one. To prevent osteoporosis it is better to do sports that involve exerting muscles, such as weightlifting, compared to others that feature physical resistance such as swimming.

Being white raises the chances of suffering from the disease, as does having relatives who had it. It has also been observed that prolonged consumption of certain medicines like corticosteroids has a negative influence, as do certain diseases related to the thyroid gland and not having children.

When the disease does appear, there are treatments based on estrogens. Experts still recommend heavy intake of calcium, either in the diet or through supplements.