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Show Steps can be taken to assess personal risk of osteofDorosis As calcium and its relationship to osteoporosis become more prominent promi-nent in the news and in advertising, you may want to consider your own level of risk. Many factors other than calcium consumjftion affect your susceptibility suscep-tibility to osteoporosis. You can also assess your risk of osteoporosis in many ways. One measure, the bone density test, is Available through friany hospitals. The test varies in its accuracy ac-curacy and usefulness. If you are considering a bone density test you may want first to go through a simple osteoporosis risk assessment checklist such as this one developed in the Utah State University Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences. Add or subtract the values assigned to your situation: SeJc: If you are a postmenopausal woman or have undergone a hysterectomy and are not taking estrogen replacement treatment, add " two. If you are a premenopausal woman, add one. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE Steps can be taken to assess personal risk of osteoporosis CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE Age: For either sex, if you are over age 70, add three; 60-69, add two; and 50-59, add one. Ethnic group: If you are Caucasian, Cauca-sian, add 1. Research indicates that other ethnic groups lose bone mass more slowly, and Blacks generally have large bone mass to begin with. Body frames: If you have a slight body frame, add two, and if you have medium frame, add one. The more bone you have to start with, the longer it will take to deteriorate. Calcium intake: If your daily consumption of milk or dairy products pro-ducts (for instance, one ounce of cheese is equivalent to one glass of milk) is less than two glasses per day, add two. If it is between two and four glasses per day, add one. Sunlight If you generally have a lifestyle that allows you one hour or more of direct sunlight per day, or if you routinely djink a quart of vitamin vit-amin D fortified milk per day, subtract sub-tract one. Vitamin D, most easily obtained when your skin converts it from sunlight, is essential to your body's utilization of calcium. Exercise: If you have a regular routine of heavy exercise four times a week or if your job is physically demanding, subtract one. Exercise, especially weight-bearing activities such as running, walking or bicycling, bicycl-ing, helps your body build stronger bones. Fluoride: Check your city's water supply. If it contains at least one part per million fluoride or if you take a supplement of one mg per day, subtract one. Fluoride seems to decrease the rate of bone absorption by the body. Drugs: If you take glucocortides for long-term treatment of asthma or rheumatoid arthritis, or if you take anticonvulsive drugs for long-term long-term treatment of a seizure disorder, add one. If you add up the points and the total is more than eight, you are at high risk of bone loss disability. If your total is 4-7 you are at moderate risk and a score of three or less puts you in the low-risk category. |