At What Age Should I Be Concerned About Bone Density?

Why is It Important to be Concerned About Bone Density Loss

Bone density loss is a major concern for both men and women. As your bones lose density, they become weaker, more brittle, and more fragile, which increases the risk of serious injury when you fall or bruise yourself. Even the smallest bump or jostle can lead to a broken bone if you lose enough density.

For that reason, it’s a good idea to build up your bone mass and density at a young age and reach peak bone mass. The stronger your bones are when you’re young, the stronger and healthier they’ll be when you’re older. By building up your bone density and reaching peak bone mass, you’re less likely to struggle with injuries and diseases related to bone density loss as you age.

Age of Concern for Men

Bone density loss isn’t as common among men as women. Males naturally have slightly bigger bone structures than women, which means there’s more room for important minerals, nutrients, and content. However, while men aren’t as at risk for injuries or illnesses related to bone density loss, they are far from exempt.

In general, men will start to lose their bone density between the ages of 40 and 50. As such, it’s important to up your calcium and vitamin intake when you reach 40. However, by achieving peak bone mass at an early age, bone loss will start later and be less severe.

Age of Concern for Women

Women are nearly twice as prone to injuries and conditions related to bone density loss as men. As such, it’s important to be concerned about bone density at an earlier age so that you can reach peak bone mass. Women over the age of 50 should start taking supplements to increase bone density, but you should start building up bone mass in your twenties and thirties.

How to Check Your Bone Density

As part of being concerned about your bone density, it’s important to understand how healthy your bones are compared to other people your age and gender. The best way to do this is with a bone density or bone densitometry test.

A bone densitometry test measures the health and mineral density of your bones compared to others in your demographic. By knowing your bone density T score, you can know if you need to be extra concerned about your bone density.

In general, a score of -1 to +1 is considered normal, and the higher you score, the less concerned you need to be. However, if you have a T-score of less than -1 compared to others in your demographic, you should be concerned about bone density loss. You should start getting tested in your late twenties and early thirties and continue testing every few years.