Your Bone Health In Menopause

Our bones are constantly renewing and laying down new bone cells in response to microscopic damage caused by day-to-day movement.  Cells called osteoclasts ensure that bone is broken down and reabsorbed while osteoblasts produce new bone cells to replace them. This process is how everyone’s skeleton stays strong and healthy. 

To be able to effectively stave off the loss of bone density, we need to understand what is involved in the production of new bone.  It's no surprise that calcium is vital, but just getting more calcium alone isn’t enough to create healthy bones.  We need vitamin D alongside calcium when we ingest it, either from our food or from The MenoShake™, to enable our bodies to turn that calcium into new bone cells.  Oestrogen is also important for bone density, and the lower levels that accompany perimenopause and menopause leads to higher bone reabsorption and lower production of new bone cells, or in layman’s terms, thinner and more brittle bones.

While this may be a normal part of ageing, it comes with some problems that we need to be aware of, such as an increased risk of breaking a bone and developing various bone-related conditions such as osteoporosis and osteopenia. This is why HRT can be important for those of us who are at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis and similar conditions.

Aside from nutrition there are other medical interventions including bisphosphonates and parathyroid injections, but the former can cause heartburn and the latter can be expensive if not available on the NHS.  We think the best way to approach bone maintenance in perimenopause, menopause and into later life is to take a holistic approach and look at the bigger picture.

Making sure we get enough exercise is a good place to start, as the benefits of this are far reaching and can improve many areas of our lives, from mood to sleep to circulation.  Exercise helps strengthen everything around our bones, giving us stronger muscles and tendons that will help support thinning bone.  At this time of our life, we may want to swap pounding pavements for lower impact exercise such as swimming or aqua-aerobics. Another consideration is rebounding (using a mini trampoline). A little-known fact is that NASA uses rebounding to help negate the bone mass loss of astronauts when they return to Earth from Space. This exercise is gentle on joints whilst the g-force on the body works on the entire skeleton to keep it strong.

Getting the right nutrients and in the right combination is also vital and while we can all take steps to improve our diets, it's not always easy to achieve that balance and combination every day.  That's where The MenoShake™ comes in, as it delivers the right nutrients in the right combination for optimum bone production. 

Exposure to sunlight is the easiest way to get enough vitamin D, but during the winter it's not always possible to get enough, especially if you live in the UK. Supplements and subtle diet or lifestyle changes can really help here.  Why not schedule in 15 minutes of quiet contemplation or meditation in the sun (when summer comes back around) with your daily MenoShake™, to reach several wellness goals in one?

Losing bone density is inevitable during menopause and in later life, but there are lots of things we can do to slow down this process and ensure we're laying down as much new bone as possible.