The density of our bones begins to decrease much sooner than expected. However, by including the right nutrients in our diet, we can strengthen our bones. Consuming milk helps make bones stronger. This is a common piece of advice we have often heard. During childhood, many are encouraged to drink calcium-rich milk at snack times, which supports strong and healthy bones. From an early age, most of us have heard that drinking milk makes bones stronger.
However, another important but less discussed fact in our society is that bone weakness due to aging is a common problem. If proper bone care is neglected in youth, the risk of fractures significantly increases later in life. The good news is that efforts to maintain bone health can be made at any age. A balanced diet and an active lifestyle help keep bones healthy, and it is not solely dependent on drinking more milk. Professor Kate Ward, a muscle and bone health expert at the University of Southampton, UK, states that bone strength in old age depends on the bone mass accumulated during childhood and early adulthood.
Globally, nearly 50 million people suffer from osteoporosis, a condition where bones become weak. In this condition, bones become thin and prone to fractures. Julie Thomson from the UK’s Royal Osteoporosis Society explains that osteopenia and osteoporosis are often “silent diseases” because there are no noticeable symptoms before a bone breaks. Especially among people over 55 years old, spinal fractures pose a serious problem. Over 10 million people worldwide experience such fractures annually.
