Osteoporosis

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Minority Women's Health > African-Americans > Osteoporosis

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Osteoporosis (OSS-tee-oh-puh-ROH-suhss) is a disease that thins and weakens the bones. This makes the bones break more easily. There are no symptoms. In fact, many people don't know they have osteoporosis until they break a bone.

African-American women, like all women, are at risk of osteoporosis. Many African-American women are at risk because they get too little calcium. One reason for this may be that as many as 3 out of 4 African-American women are lactose-intolerant. Lactose-intolerant people have trouble digesting a type of sugar found in milk and other dairy foods. So, many lactose-intolerant people avoid these foods, which are good sources of calcium.

You can take steps to help prevent osteoporosis:

• Get enough calcium each day. Calcium is needed to make and keep your bones strong. You can get calcium through the food you eat, calcium pills, or both. Foods rich in calcium include dairy products such as low-fat milk, cheese, and yogurt, cereals and orange juice with calcium added, and leafy green vegetables. You can get calcium pills at the grocery or drug store. Talk to your doctor before taking calcium pills. Follow these guidelines to be sure you get enough:
  • Women ages 19 to 50 need at least 1,000 mg of calcium every day.
  • Women over age 50 need at least 1,200 mg every day.
  
  If you are lactose intolerant, try eating dairy foods in small amounts over the day and eating more nondairy, calcium-rich foods. Lactase pills can help make it easier to digest dairy products. You also can take more calcium pills.

• Get enough vitamin D each day. Vitamin D helps your body take in calcium. One way to get vitamin D is through sunlight. But you need 10 to 15 minutes of sunlight to the hands, arms, and face, 2 to 3 times a week to get enough vitamin D. The amount of sun exposure any one person needs depends on how sensitive your skin is to light, use of sunscreen, skin color, and pollution. A second way is eating foods rich in vitamin D, such as fortified milk. A third way is by taking a vitamin D pill. Ask your doctor how much vitamin D you need.

• Get moving. Activities that make bones stronger include walking, jogging, stair-climbing, dancing, and lifting weights. Health benefits are gained by doing the following each week:
  • 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity
    or
    
  • 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity
    or
    
  • A combination of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity
    and
    
  • Muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days of the week

• Don't smoke. If you smoke, try to quit. For help along the way, check out our Quitting Smoking section.

• Limit alcohol to no more than 1 drink per day. Heavy drinking is linked to lower bone density and higher risk of bone breaks.

Talk to your doctor about your osteoporosis risk. All women over 65 should have a bone mineral density test.

Additional Resources

Publications

1.   Fact Sheet — Osteoporosis — This osteoporosis fact sheet provides information on risk factors, prevention tips, and treatment options. It also includes information on osteoporosis in men and pregnant or breastfeeding women.

   http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/osteoporosis.cfm

2.   For People With Osteoporosis: How to Find a Doctor — This publication provides information on how to find the right doctor to treat osteoporosis. It also includes information on the different types of specialists who treat osteoporosis.

   http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Osteoporosis/find_doctor.asp

3.   Osteoporosis and African American Women — This consumer health information fact sheet provides information about osteoporosis in African-American women. It discusses risk factors, prevention, and treatment options.

   http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Osteoporosis/Background/default.asp

4.   Osteoporosis and Arthritis: Two Common but Different Conditions — Many people confuse osteoporosis with some types of arthritis. This fact sheet discusses the similarities and differences between osteoporosis and arthritis.

   http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Osteoporosis/Conditions_Behaviors/osteoporosis_arthritis.asp...

5.   Osteoporosis: Peak Bone Mass in Women — This publication provides information on skeletal growth and maturation, factors that affect bone mass, and how you can achieve maximum bone density.

   http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Osteoporosis/bone_mass.asp

6.   Osteoporosis: The Bone Thief — This publication explains what osteoporosis is and who is at risk. It also provides information on prevention and treatment options.

   http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/osteo.asp

7.   Osteoporosis: The Diagnosis — This guide presents information about the steps involved in the diagnosis of osteoporosis. It describes the factors that put someone at risk for osteoporotic fractures and the different tests used to diagnose this disease. There is also information about treatment options.

   http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Osteoporosis/diagnosis.asp

8. Osteoporosis — Frequently Asked Questions (Copyright © National Osteoporosis Foundation) — This resource addresses common osteoporosis-related questions on topics such as calcium, exercise, and medications.

   http://www.nof.org/osteoporosis/faq.htm

9. The IOF One-Minute Osteoporosis Risk Test (Copyright © International Osteoporosis Foundation) — Are you among the 1 in 3 women, or the 1 in 5 men, who will be affected by osteoporosis in their lifetimes? This tool provides a risk test to take to find out your osteoporosis risk.

   http://www.iofbonehealth.org/patients-public/risk-test.html

Organizations

1.   Office of Minority Health, OPHS, OS, HHS
2.   Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center, NIAMS, NIH, HHS
3. National Osteoporosis Foundation

= Indicates Federal Resources

Content last updated May 18, 2010.