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Many people think that bones grow until a person reaches a certain height and then only serve an aesthetic purpose. However, the bones that make up the human body are very much alive, change over time, and require proper care. That’s why you should, as the 90’s Argentinian bone health campaign said, “invest in your bones.”

What does that look like? There are many things that doctors can recommend and people can do to maintain healthy bones and ward off bone diseases that affect both health and quality of life, such as various forms of arthritis and osteoporosis.

Bone disease prevention starts in childhood and never stops. Central to it are two well-known health and wellness strategies: nutrition and exercise. These two science-backed concepts have been proven to be effective at protecting and strengthening the bones.

The food you eat can affect your bones. Learning about which foods are rich in calcium, vitamin D, and other nutrients that are important for bone health and overall health will help you make better dietary decisions every day.

Ideally, you should have:

• Four servings of milk, cheese, yogurt, or calcium-fortified orange juice or plant-based milks will give you all the calcium you need for the day.
• If you are not getting enough calcium and vitamin D, supplements may be a way of getting the calcium and vitamin D that you need.

Calcium and vitamin D work together: vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium that is obtained from food.

In addition to dairy products, major sources of calcium are:

• Fish, such as tuna and salmon
• Green leafy vegetables, such as kale
• Tofu
• Small, boneless fish, such as sardines and canned salmon

Exercise works on bones much like it does on muscles: it makes them stronger. Physical activity is key to developing strong bones in childhood and adolescence—and is essential to maintaining bone strength in old age. As bone is living tissue, it changes over time in response to the forces applied to it. When you exercise regularly, your bone adapts by forming more bone and becoming denser.

This improvement in your bones requires good nutrition, including adequate calcium and vitamin D.

Another benefit of exercise is that it improves balance and coordination. This becomes especially important as you get older because it helps prevent falls and possible bone fractures.

Any activity that is done on your feet and that works your bones and muscles against gravity. When your feet and legs support the weight of your body, more pressure is applied to the bones, which makes them work harder. Weight-bearing exercises after young adulthood can help prevent greater bone loss and strengthen the bones.

Examples of these exercises include:

• Walking
• Jogging or running
• Dancing
• Stair climbing
• Team sports, such as basketball, soccer, and volleyball

Higher-impact activities, such as jogging, increase the weight on the bones and provide more strengthening benefits. However, people who are frail or have been diagnosed with low bone density should talk to their doctors about the types of physical activity that would be best for them.

Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, one of the most common forms of arthritis, are partially caused by frail bones.

Many people with osteoporosis do not even know they have it, as bone loss occurs over a long period and does not have symptoms. The first sign of osteoporosis may be a bone fracture in the spine, hip, or wrist. These fractures can be very painful and make it difficult for a person to walk or do daily activities.

Arthritis is becoming more and more prevalent as the population gets older. This term encompasses a range of over 100 disorders that share two things in common: they cause inflammation and pain in the joints.

For decades, scientists have attempted to perfect medications and treatments that reduce the symptoms and impact this condition has on overall health and quality of life.

Recently, there have been some major pharmacological discoveries, such as the new generation of DMARDs (disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs), which stop or slow the disease process in inflammatory forms of arthritis. Other important treatments include biologics, NSAIDs, and emerging JAK inhibitors, which have revolutionized therapies by primarily targeting synovitis.

However, the scientific community agrees that prevention through nutrition and exercise is essential to building and maintaining strong bones throughout life and entering old age with minimal bone loss.

This story was produced using content from original studies or reports, and other medical research and health and public health sources, highlighted in related links throughout the article.