 Hello, I'm Sarah VanSumeren and I'm a bone health specialist and member of the Michigan Health's Comprehensive Muscular Skill Tilt Care Team. I'm here to discuss the importance of keeping your bones healthy. Our bones are always changing as our bodies remove old bone tissue and form new bone tissue. Up to age 30, bone is formed faster than it was removed, so bones become larger and more dense. It is normal to lose a small amount of bone density every year after age 35, but there are some things you can do to keep your bones healthy. First, you want to make sure you're getting enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet, while also limiting alcohol intake and not smoking. Staying active and physically fit will help keep your bones healthy as well. Both alcohol and smoking make your bones less dense, which can cause osteoporosis and put you at greater risk for bone fractures. Osteoporosis is a condition when the bones become thin and weak. It's usually a silent, painless condition where people don't know they have it until they experience a fracture. As you get older, the bone breakdown accelerates, and formation of new bone is less. In women, it's usually around the time they go through menopause, when the bone loss becomes greater than new bone formation. As men age, they're at risk for osteoporosis as well. Risk factors for osteoporosis include people over the age of 50, women being of small, thin stature, Caucasian or Asian ethnicity, a family history of osteoporosis, a history of smoking or being a current smoker, drinking more than three alcoholic beverages per day, a history of low calcium in your diet, or of low vitamin D intake, or long-term use of prednisone. In order to prevent osteoporosis, you should regularly exercise, in particular weight-bearing exercise. This could be walking, stepporobics, or tennis, along with weight conditioning. Also, make sure you have a well-rounded diet, including plenty of calcium and vitamin D. For more information about the Bone Health Clinic or to inquire about becoming a patient, call 989-837-9192.