According to the Surgeon General’s office, by 2020 half of all Americans over 50 will have weak bones unless we make changes to our diet and lifestyle.

Consider some of these other bone-chilling stats about bone health:

• Four out of every 10 women over 50 will break a hip, spine or wrist
• One out of every 10 men over 50 will break a hip, spine or wrist
• Ten million people in the US over age 50 have osteoporosis (bone weakening) of the hip
• One in five people with a hip fracture ends up in a nursing home within a year
• The medical expense for treating broken bones from osteoporosis is as high as $18 billion each year.
• Hip fractures account for about 300,000 hospitalizations each year

Our bones give our bodies the support we need to stand and move, they also protect our vital organs like the heart, lungs and brain. As important as they are, there are no warning signs when bones start to weaken. Americans are living longer which means we need to keep our bones strong as we age so they support our bodies and lifestyles long into the future.

The good news is that you are never too old or too young to improve your bone health. There are many things you can do to keep bones strong and prevent fractures. At all ages, a diet with enough calcium and vitamin D, together with weight-bearing physical activity every day, can prevent problems later.

In addition consuming enough calcium, vitamin D, and exercising working with your doctor is also essential. Your doctor can look at your age, weight, height and medical history. From there he or she can determine if you need a bone density test. Broken bones are a “red flag” for your doctor. If you break a bone after the age of 50, talk to your doctor about measuring your bone density. Even if you broke a bone in an accident, you might have weak bones. It is worth checking. Your doctor might recommend a medical test called a bone mineral density test. Bone density tests use x-rays or sound waves to measure how strong your bones are. These tests are quick (5 to 10 minutes), safe and painless. They will give you and your doctor an idea of how healthy your bones are. All women over 65 should have a bone density test. Your doctor might also want to do a blood test to check for a vitamin D deficiency or abnormal calcium levels.
Taking care of bone health is part of the bigger picture of overall health. Ensuring that your bones are as healthy and dense as you can now, will ensure that when you’re older, and have more time to do all the things you want to do, you will be able to move freely and easily.