Bone Health In Older Adults (Credit-Canva)
Strengthening your bones is not something that can happen overnight, it takes years for your body to build strong bones and even then, it is natural for them to lose their dexterity. All you can do is keep your body healthy to make sure it is prepared for any unexpected situations. For years, many older adults have been told to take vitamin D and calcium supplements to keep their bones strong and prevent falls. However, a new report from U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is changing that advice. This report suggests that for most older people, these supplements don't actually prevent falls or broken bones. This might be surprising news, we must understand why falls happen more often as we age, what vitamin D and calcium do in the body, and most importantly, what you can do to stay safe and prevent fractures.
According to the report, vitamin D supplements don't seem to help prevent falls or broken bones for most people over 60. They also found that these supplements, especially with calcium, might increase the risk of kidney stones. This report doesn't mean people with weak bones (osteoporosis), low vitamin D, or who take vitamin D for other health reasons shouldn't take it. It just means that for most healthy older people, these supplements don't prevent falls and fractures.
There are many reasons why older people are more prone to breaking their bones. Our bones are strongest when we're in our 20s and 30s, and they get weaker as we age so naturally, they can break easily. It can also be harder to move around as we get older, sometimes because of problems like arthritis this can affect how we walk and make us less steady.
There are also different issues like neuropathy, which is a nerve problem that can also make it harder to feel your feet and keep your balance. Eyesight is also a culprit as it can cause you to feel dizzy and fall. Some medicines can also make people feel unsteady, and older people often take more medicines than younger people. Low vitamin D itself can also increase the risk of falls, so keeping vitamin D levels up is still important.
USPSTF recommends a few better ways to protect your bone health and prevent broken bones and falls.
Regular walks strengthen your muscles and bones, which helps you stay steady on your feet. It is as simple as practice makes perfect so the more you walk, the better it is. Walking also improves your balance, making you less likely to fall.
Strength training, like lifting weights or using resistance bands, makes your bones stronger and helps prevent fractures if you do fall. It is like a safety cushion, but you must be careful while doing so because it can lead to injuries if done too much.
Activities like tai chi, Pilates, and yoga can improve your balance and coordination, making you more stable and less prone to falls. These can also help you improve your muscle flexibility and strength that in turn helps your body be stronger.
If you have osteoporosis, talk to your doctor about medications that can help strengthen your bones and lower your risk of fractures. Many medications can also have unsavory side effects like weakened joints, losing muscle strength, etc.
A proper diet goes a long way when it comes to your entire body health. So to keep up with your body’s nutrition and muscle health, eat more protein along with a balanced meal that includes loads of fiber, healthy fats and carbs.
Having poor eyesight can be difficult, not only does it make life difficult without glasses, but it also increases the possibilities of getting into minor accidents like bumping into people and missing objects placed in front of us.
Getting enough sleep is also important because when you are not sleeping, you get disoriented and can ignore even obvious things like the last stair in the staircase. Make sure you get enough sleep to keep you fresh and focused.
There are many things that can cause you to have accidents, even in your home. To avoid such falls, make sure there are no lose ends like crooked floor panels, rugs that are sticking out or protruding furniture that can hurt your knees
Credit: Canva
A fall at home might look small, but for women older than 65, a broken hip can be a big and serious health problem. In real medical terms, this condition has a 20 to 30 percent chance of being deadly within the first year.
As people get older, their bones get weaker because of osteoporosis, which makes them more likely to break even from small falls. However, the bigger problem starts once the injury happens.
According to World Health organization (WHO), around 60 per cent of people living with osteoarthritis are women, yet awareness remains limited until symptoms begin to interfere with mobility and daily function.
Reports show that 70 per cent of women will get arthritis and osteoporosis. Most of them had no idea it was coming. HealthandMe spoke to experts to understand the reasons behind the trend.
Dr Gurdeep Avinash Ratra, Consultant - Orthopedics and Joint Replacement, Manipal Hospitals, Gurugram said that the development of these disorders is gradual and closely tied to physiological changes.
“After the age of 30, there is a steady decline in muscle mass, accompanied by a more rapid reduction in strength and power. With menopause, the significant fall in estrogen levels removes natural protection for bone density and joint health. Over time, this leads to increased bone fragility, reduced muscular support, and stress on joints, thereby elevating the risk of fractures and chronic joint conditions,” Ratra told HealthandMe.
Health Coach Prashant Desai in a post on social media platform X, noted that after the age of 30:
Experts said a hip fracture needs to be treated right away as a serious medical problem that requires care from many different medical specialists, not just a doctor who focuses on bones.
Dr Rajesh Kumar Verma, Director – Orthopedics & Joint Replacement, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Vaishali explained that limited movement can cause blood clots, chest infections, pressure sores, and loss of muscle quickly. Many patients also face a quick drop in their ability to take care of themselves, which can impact both their body and mind.
Also read: Suffering From Mid-back Pain? Doctors Say It May Be Spinal TB
“Delayed treatment further increases risk. Early surgery and prompt recovery treatment help increase the chances of surviving and recovering better,” Verma told HealthandMe.

What to avoid
Credit: iStock
World Health Day serves as a reminder that regular preventive health check-ups stand as mandatory health assessments that all women need to undergo for their long-term health.
Many serious conditions, such as breast cancer, cervical cancer, thyroid disorders, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, often remain silent in their early stages, making regular screening the most effective way to detect them early, when treatment is simpler, less invasive, and more successful.
Preventive healthcare enables women to take a proactive role in managing their health rather than responding to illness at an advanced stage. Early detection not only improves clinical outcomes but also effectively decreases treatment difficulties, emotional distress and financial costs while providing superior long-term life quality.
This also helps in identifying risk factors early, allowing timely lifestyle modifications that can prevent disease onset altogether.
Despite this, women often deprioritize their own health due to the multiple roles they juggle, balancing careers, caregiving responsibilities, and family needs. There is also a continued hesitation around discussing reproductive and intimate health concerns, along with a lack of awareness, fear of diagnosis, and social stigma, all of which contribute to delays in seeking timely care.
In many cases, women assume that the absence of symptoms indicates good health, which is a common but risky misconception.
Routine screenings such as Pap smears for cervical health, regular breast examinations, mammography where indicated, thyroid function tests, and basic metabolic screenings like blood sugar and cholesterol levels are critical tools in preventive care.
Periodic health check-ups also provide an opportunity for counselling on nutrition, mental well-being, hormonal health, and lifestyle management, areas that are often overlooked but equally important.
World Health Day serves as a reminder to shift from a reactive to a preventive approach. Prioritizing regular health check-ups, normalizing conversations around women’s health, and encouraging a culture of self-care can significantly improve outcomes. Investing in preventive healthcare is one of the most powerful steps women can take towards leading healthier, longer, and more empowered lives.
Credit: Canva
Aging is a significant factor in memory loss and cognitive decline. Now, a team of US researchers has pinpointed a single protein that drives these changes in the brains of the elderly.
In aging mice, higher levels of protein FTL1 weakened connections between brain cells, leading to memory decline.
But when FTL1 was reduced, the brain began to recover. It also rebuilt lost connections and restored memory performance, according to the study, published in Nature Aging.
Also Read: Eye Drops: US FDA Recalls Over 3 Million Products Over Safety Concerns
"It is truly a reversal of impairments," said Saul Villeda, Associate Director at the University of California - San Francisco's Bakar Aging Research Institute and senior author of the paper. "It's much more than merely delaying or preventing symptoms."
While the research was carried out in aging mice, it holds immense potential for human brain function.
In the study, the researchers tracked shifts in genes and proteins in the hippocampus of mice. The FTL1 protein appeared consistently different between young and old animals.
Compared to young mice, the older mice showed higher levels of FTL1. They also had fewer connections between neurons in the hippocampus and performed worse on cognitive tests.
Increasing FTL1 levels in young mice produced brain changes similar to those seen in older mice. The researchers found that this change occurs because of alterations in the way nerve cells produce FTL1 protein.
In older mice, the nerve cells that produced high amounts of FTL1 developed simplified structures, forming short, single extensions instead of the complex, branching networks seen in healthy cells.
Further experiments showed that in older mice, higher levels of the protein slowed cellular metabolism in the hippocampus -- the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory.
However, when researchers treated these cells with a compound that boosts metabolism, the negative effects were prevented.
Also read: This Unique Diet Slows Brain Aging By Over 2 Years, Study Says
Villeda believes these findings could pave the way for treatments that target FTL1 and counter its effects in the brain.
"We're seeing more opportunities to alleviate the worst consequences of old age," he said. "It's a hopeful time to be working on the biology of aging."
Also read: Exercising Could Make Your Brain Younger, Says Doctor
© 2024 Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited