The teenage years are a time of much increase in density of bones and bone growth . It is important that ample calcium be supplied to the body. This Shockwave enhanced site has a dietary calcium calculator, images from the milk moustache campaign, facts on milk, and a quiz contest. It is important to continue getting adequate dietary calcium at all stages of life and to perform both weight bearing exercise and strength training. Weight bearing exercise is an excellent means of improving the density of the weight bearing bone structures, while strength training helps the upper extremity and also improves balance.
Falls are the primary cause of osteoporosis related injury.
A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated that falls were an important cause of admission to nursing homes. Fall avoidance training is another means of reducing injury from osteoporosis. A diet rich in calcium and also containing Vitamin D is an important component of an osteoporosis prevention program. A critical time frame in which to take action is the perimenopausal years. The manner in which both estrogen and testosterone protect bone from calcium is not known.