BONE HEALTH IN A PANDEMIC: The silent killer hiding behind a pandemic – Osteoporosis. Covid 19 pandemic has bought an unprecedented disruption of our regular lifestyle. People have no other option but to sit at home to prevent the spread of Corona virus. Parks and gyms have been closed leading to a peculiar and strange situation where people are deprived of sunlight exposure and exercises. This has led to an alarming

Rise of ‘silent osteoporotic fractures’ equivalent to a ‘skeletal heart attack’. To prevent them, the following should be observed

1. Ensure healthy diet which includes Calcium and proteins, two key ingredients for bone health. With advancing age, the body’s ability to absorb vitamins and minerals may be reduced. In fact, older adults often suffer from malnutrition as they might not be eating enough or absorbing nutrients from their diet. So Calcium and Vitamin D supplements should be considered when daily consumption is low and they have comorbidities like diabetes and hypertension.
2. Get enough Vitamin D, which is made in the skin on exposure to sunlight. The average young adult requires about 15 minutes of sunlight exposure daily. Vitamin D is present in oily fish, eggs, mushrooms and fortified dairy products and juices. For vegetarians, we generally advise weekly vitamin D supplements.
3. Maintaining a healthy body weight. Being too thin is also damaging to your bone health.
4. Keep active. Take regular muscle strengthening and weight bearing exercises. Participate in exercise activities that improve balance, posture and coordination. Even in limited spaces, this can be done by spot marching and stretching.
5. Avoid smoking and heavy drinking.
6. Fall prevention by decluttering and avoiding water and oil spills on slippery floors.
7. Finally consult a doctor for bone and health assessment especially if the risk factors of osteoporosis have been identified. The prevailing condition globally may take much longer than anticipated to come to normalcy. Hence it is wiser to preserve our bone health in a efficient manner as possible.