On World Osteoporosis Day, Portuguese specialist Pedro Lôbo do Vale has explained that the condition affects over 800,000 people in Portugal – most of them women – and will see one in three over the age of 50 suffer bone fractures within the next 10 years. Fractures account for as many deaths in Portugal as breast cancer, he stressed, so working on osteoporosis prevention is vital.
Anyone with the condition in the family, or family members who have suffered bone fractures, should seek medical advice and almost certainly take a bone density test.
Loss of bone density with age is inevitable, said the expert, but osteoporosis is not. Regular exercise, a diet rich in soya, tofu, broccoli and sardines, and supplements of vitamin D and calcium can all play their part in keeping people healthy.
