Silent Killer, Osteoporosis Symptoms That Can’t Be Felt

Osteoporosis is categorized as silent killer, the deathly disease. People who have brittle bones often don’t realize it because the symptoms cannot be seen.

“Osteoporosis is silent killer, don’t know when your bones get brittle, then suddenly it is broke. As a result, people ignore these cannot-be-seen symptoms. In Indonesia, and several territories in Asia, the main causes of osteoporosis are the lack of vitamin D and low calcium intake,” said dr Fiastuti Witjaksono MS SpGK in talkshow “Bones and Joints Health for Indonesian Active Women” by Anlene and Perwatusi in Shangrila Hotel, Jakarta, Wednesday (27/7/2011).

Bone starts to grow since in the womb and named as “woven” bone, because the form looks like webbing, so after born it is called “lamellar”. The bone growth during in the womb is affected by placenta hormone and calcium.

After the baby born, bone growth process is affected by growth hormone (human growth hormone/hgh) and calcium. When born, baby has 350 bones and then those bones are receded into 206 bones when becoming adult, because the bones are connecting each other and forming stronger bones.

“Maintaining bone health must be done in every age. Bone growth mass reaches the peak in the age of 30. After that, bone mass will start to be fragile with age.

Maintaining bone health is like saving money, the more we keep calcium, the more our need is fulfilled in the future,” said dr Fiastuti.

Osteoporosis can cause broken bone that usually attack back bone, pelvis and wrist. “Osteoporosis reduces life quality of the sufferer; cause pains and job loss. Statistically, the fragileness that caused by osteoporosis is considered happen every three seconds in the world,” she said.

Two main causes

Furthermore, Dr Fiastuti said, osteoporosis causing factors can be divided into two causes. First is the unchangeable factor, like genetic, race, age, body proportion, gender, early menopause, health condition like anorexia and chronic diarrhea.

“If parent suffers from osteoporosis, we will easily suffer the same thing. Then, Asian and Caucasian race have higher osteoporosis number than black race. People who have small body must also be careful because they have higher osteoporosis risk,” she said.

Second is the changeable factor, include nutrition and lifestyle. “Fulfill the needs of protein. According to research, bone density of people who undergo Atkins diet is lower than people who get enough protein,” said this doctor who practices in MRCCC Siloam Hospitals Semanggi.

And with the reason of afraid to be fat, women don’t drink milk that they think it is only for children. Whereas, milk contains a lot of lactose that can enhance calcium absorption better than calcium from other foods, like anchovy. Furthermore, calcium sufficiency number for productive ages 19-50 years old is 1000 mg per day that is commensurate with two glass of full calcium milk.

“Nutrition must fulfill the needs. Don’t excess fat because it will hamper calcium absorption. People also need to reduce salt consumption, like monosodium glutamate that often exist in instant foods, because salt cause more calcium expense,” she explained.

Dr Fiastuti added that fish especially that eaten with the bones, nuts, tofu, tempe, and green vegetable are the other food ingredients that contain protein.

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