Skeleton Key

Achy, Breaky Bones? The Answer Could Be as Simple as a Good Exercise Routine and Some Sun, Finds Alamara Khan

Fact: osteoporosis is no longer a disease that only affects women on the other side of 50; women as young as 30 are at risk of developing brittle bones, too. And what begins as mild aches can escalate to life-threatening fractures within just a few years. Much like our skin, our bones are also constantly being formed and reabsorbed. By the time we hit 30, the formation of new bone tissue becomes slower than the reabsorption of old tissue, resulting in weak joints and porous bones.

A study published by the International Journal of Women’s Health in 2015 found that Indian women, between the ages of 30 and 60, have much lower bone density as compared to our Caucasian counterparts. Fifty-two per cent suffered from osteopenia (less severe version of osteoporosis) and 29 per cent from osteoporosis, due to lack of vitamin D, calcium and sunlight exposure. “Indians have DNA variations that don’t always produce the amount of vitamin D needed to build and maintain bone [health]. This puts Indian women at a biological disadvantage of developing osteoporosis early,” says Mallika Tarkas Parekh, a health professional and director of the Mumbai-based barre studio, Physique 57.