1. Know where you stand
One is FRAX (Fracture Risk Assessment Tool). The World Health Organization's online tool lets doctors estimate your 10-year osteoporosis risk based on lifestyle, health, risk factors, and genetics.
2. Bone up with calcium
Your bones store up to 99% of the calcium your body requires for blood coagulation, muscle, and nerve function. Decreased estrogen may lead women to lose 20% of their bone density in the 5-7 years after menopause.
3. Get more vitamin D
Without adequate vitamin D, [women] might lose up to 4% of their bone mass every year, says Boston University Medical Center professor of medicine Michael F.
4. Eat your veggies
According to a 2009 research by the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, fruits and vegetables are rich in skeletal-healthy minerals including magnesium, potassium, vitamin C.
5. Kick butts
One more reason to stop smoking: In 2010, a three-year study of 4,332 women at Universidade Federal de São Paulo in Brazil found that it is a primary cause of bone loss and fractures in women over 40.
6. Drink moderately
A 2010 Loyola University Study on rats found that heavy drinking between adolescence and adolescence, when bone-building occurs, may cause irreparable skeletal damage.
7. You really can be too thin
A reason to keep those love handles: An additional cushion protects your bones. poor body weight is linked to poor bone mass and fracture risk, according to a 2006 Rutgers University study.