Strong is the new youth: why bone health demands a spot in your beauty routine

We looked at each other and laughed. But we weren’t really ‘laughing’. No, behind our convivial smiles, we were secretly scared stiff. Sat in a hospital ward crammed with moaning, screaming patients, what we were really thinking was: “Please, God, never let this be us.” My cousin and I were at the bedside of another relative who had slipped and broken a hip. Let me tell you, it was awful - prompting me, at least, to consider bone health as an extension of my beauty routine.

Maintaining bone health as we age is as important as anti-wrinkle creams.

After witnessing the aftermath of a simple fall, I’ve vowed to actually start taking the calcium and vitamin D tablets I’ve had on repeat prescription for the past 18 months. They were prescribed to offset the side effects of the breast cancer drug Letrozole, but were quickly consigned to the back of a dark cupboard when I realised they gave me terrible wind. Trust me, I’d rather let off the occasional fart than have to go through what my poor relative experienced.

It’s not just the initial pain of a serious bone break that scares me. It’s the hours of waiting in agony for an ambulance (possibly in a very public space and exposed to the elements). It’s also the extra hours sat in A&E, the inevitable surgery and, worse, the long road to recovery. My relative has been in hospital for 17 days, so far. Thirteen of them were in a dimly-lit ward choc-a-bloc with dementia patients blue-lighted in from care homes. Depressing.

More than 20 per cent of people over 50 who break a hip die within a year. If you are one of the ones who survive, there’s a chance you may never regain full mobility. As I listen to my relative’s account of her daily physio sessions and the struggles she is facing, it’s not lost on me that breaking a hip is very serious indeed. It can be life-changing.

Why invest in our appearance if neglecting bone health is going to leave us mobility-impaired? Who wants to pair a strikingly youthful face with a pronounced limp or a fear of leaving the house? Not me! 

Bone health in post-menopausal women

Having researched the link between hormones and bone health, I know that women are disproportionately affected by broken hips when compared to men. In fact, one in every two women over the age of 50 will break at least one bone in their body because of bone density loss.

Why? Because our bones are made up of living tissue that is constantly being regenerated. The breaking down and rebuilding process is regulated by estrogen - the hormone that abruptly leaves the building in the years immediately following the menopause. It’s the oil that greases the system; joints crave it. Without estrogen, the regenerating process is impaired, leaving the bones weak and brittle.

It is estimated that the average woman loses up to 20 per cent of their bone density in the seven years following the menopause. For those on certain medications, including cancer drugs and steroids, the bone loss can be even greater. Other medical conditions, family history and lifestyle choices also impact bone health. Simply ageing, which none of us can avoid, is a known trigger. Currently, it is thought that one in five women over the age of 50 have osteoporosis. However, because many don’t know they have suffered serious bone density loss unless they break a bone, that figure could be much, much higher.

In the case of my relative, she has only now learned that she has osteoporosis - after she broke a hip. Scary stuff. With so much pressure on the NHS and social care, you’d think the government would prioritise bone health as a preventative strategy. Where’s the information?

Bone density loss is a leading cause of broken bones in women over 50.

Is it possible to offset bone loss?

I’m 60. The damage is already done. I smoked for years, have undergone chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and am still in the throes of estrogen-blocking endocrine therapy. To make matters worse, I turned down bone strengthening infusions - frightened I’d be one of the unlucky ones who suffered erosion of the jaw. Of course, I’ve still got all those packets of Adcal-D3 in the back of a cupboard. Am I going to take them? You bet!

As well as taking the tablets, I’ve already upped my exercise regime. I’ve stopped sitting around so much on the days I don’t work and I’ve cut out the single glass of wine I used to drink once in a blue moon. I come from the ’80s class of newspaper hacks - those halcyon and unhealthy days when it wasn’t unheard of for an under-stress sub to have three fags on the go at once. So, yes, I’m a nicotine addict - but of the vaping kind. That’s the one thing I’m never going to pack in. I’ll apologise to myself right now.

I’m led to believe that there are things we can do to improve our bone density. I’m going to do (almost) everything I can to increase my chances of avoiding a broken hip. If you are perimenopausal or menopausal, there’s nothing stopping you from taking remedial action now. Speak to your GP or a pharmacist about supplements that will support bone health as your body navigates the ravages of ‘the change’. The recommended adult daily intake of calcium is 1,200 mg a day and for vitamin D it is 600 - 800 IU. Good nutrition habits and regular intake of sunlight count towards these recommendations.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been given a terrifying insight into what can happen if you’ve got osteoporosis and don’t know it. I’m just going to assume I have the condition (I’ll find out for certain when I have a DEXA scan), and be extra careful. Having tripped over my own pyjama bottoms and given myself a black eye in the not too distant past, I know only too well how accidents can happen.

When I woke up on New Year’s Day, bone health was the furthest thing from my mind. A ’phone call and subsequent trip to a hospital changed all that. I’m not going to be able to erase the memory of what I saw and heard on that ward for a very long time. And my relative’s long and difficult recovery is going to be the stark reminder that I need to keep taking the tablets and keep moving.

Bone strength is an all-important factor of beauty. Without it, we wither into uncompromising old age - with all the fears and limitations that brings.

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