TODAY is World Osteoporosis Day, and young women have been urged to adopt a healthier lifestyle to avoid the condition in later life.
Prof Moira O'Brien, president of the Irish Osteoporosis Society, warned young people of the need to build up their bone mass through healthy eating and weight bearing exercise. The society, recently registered as a charity, has published an information booklet.
It is increasingly noticeable that many young women in particular are eating too little in pursuit of a body shape currently in vogue. Most don't realise that they may become osteoporotic while in their early 20s if their diet and lifestyle do not allow their bones to develop normally," said Dr O'Brien, professor of anatomy at Trinity College Dublin.
People who were excessively thin when young also ran an increased risk of developing problems with osteoporosis because they did not build up sufficient bone mass to withstand the effects of bone loss in later life, she added.
Osteoporosis, or porous bones, exists when bone becomes brittle due to lack of calcium and protein. It affects around 30 per cent of all women over 50 years. In Ireland about 130,000 women may be sufferers, many without realising it.
Recent studies show some Irish people have a lower than average bone density. Women with low levels of the female hormone oestrogen are more at risk.
Dr O'Brien said other factors might include dietary deficiencies such as low calcium intake combined with insufficient vitamin D, which is necessary to metabolise calcium.
"We have an increasing number of young girls with eating disorders who are exercising excessively. Many are vegetarians, an increasing number are smoking and drinking alcohol and an increasing amount of coffee which reduces the body's ability to take in calcium.
The extent of the problem is not known because osteoporosis is a silent disease which may go undetected until someone falls and breaks a bone. "It is quite easy to get an adequate amount of calcium through taking the right food. A pint of milk a clay or yoghurt or hard cheese is enough."