Osteoporosis is not reversible, but medication, a nutrient-dense diet, and weight bearing exercise can help prevent further bone loss and rebuild bones.
The short answer is no, osteoporosis cannot be completely reversed and is not considered curable, but there are a number of health and lifestyle adjustments you can make to improve bone loss.
While you can never regain the bone density you had in your youth, you can help prevent rapidly thinning bones, even after your diagnosis. Here's a breakdown of five lifestyle steps to help you on the road to better bone health.
There is no cure for osteoporosis, but treatment can help to slow or stop the loss of bone density and reduce the risk of fractures. This may involve medications, diet changes, exercise, and steps to prevent fracturing a bone.
Avocados contain a good helping of several Foundation Supplements (the supplements I refer to as essential for bone health in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program): Vitamin K, which works in synergy with Vitamin D to help regulate osteoclast production (osteoclasts remove old bone to make way for new bone deposits).
Simply walking in your neighborhood three times per week for a total of 150 minutes is great weight-bearing exercise for your legs, hips, and spine, and the activity slows mineral loss. Walking on an elliptical machine, biking, or low-impact aerobic exercise are other options.
Over all, getting at least 800 mg of calcium a day from the diet or taking at least 1,000 mg of supplemental calcium a day increased bone density. But bone density only increased by about 0.6% to 1.8% — an amount too low to affect fracture risk.
Your bones are made primarily of collagen, so when your body's collagen production decreases, your bones weaken, making them more susceptible to fracture. Studies show that taking collagen peptides may be helpful in treating and preventing osteoporosis.
Weight-bearing and resistance exercises are the best for your bones. Weight-bearing exercises force you to work against gravity. They include walking, hiking, jogging, climbing stairs, playing tennis, and dancing. Resistance exercises – such as lifting weights – can also strengthen bones.
Weight-bearing aerobic activities
Examples include walking, dancing, low-impact aerobics, elliptical training machines, stair climbing and gardening. These types of exercise work directly on the bones in your legs, hips and lower spine to slow mineral loss.
Osteoporosis can't be cured, but with medicine and lifestyle changes, you can slow or even stop it. Regular exercise, a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, and prevention of falls can all make a difference.
Remission usually occurs by the end of the 2- to 4-year course. In this type of osteoporosis, the process of bone formation is normal, but osteoclastic activity increases, resulting in increased bone resorption.
Transient osteoporosis of the hip is a rare condition that causes temporary bone loss in the upper portion of the thighbone (femur). People with transient osteoporosis of the hip will experience a sudden onset of pain that intensifies with walking or other weight-bearing activities.
Include plenty of calcium in your diet.
Good sources of calcium include dairy products, almonds, broccoli, kale, canned salmon with bones, sardines and soy products, such as tofu. If you find it difficult to get enough calcium from your diet, ask your doctor about supplements.
But "you can live with osteoporosis for a long, long time and never have complications such as fractures -- if you take certain precautions," says Felicia Cosman, MD, osteoporosis expert and medical director of the clinical research center at Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw, N.Y.
Men who began treatment at age 50 had a life expectancy of 18.2 years, while the life expectancy for a man beginning treatment at 75 was an average of 7.5 years. For women, the figure was 26.4 years for those beginning treatment at 50 and 13.5 years for those beginning treatment at 75.