Hormones shift as women approach 50. Your ovaries stop producing estradiol, the estrogen that protects the bones throughout life, has declined. At this point, you begin producing a different type of estrogen called estrone, which isn’t so protective.
Excessive bone loss and reduced calcium availability are 2 ways hormones impact bone health.
Estradiol and estrone
Estradiol is a type of estrogen that is predominantly produced up until around the age of 50, when women enter the perimenopause phase of life.
Estrone becomes the predominant type of estrogen that is produced as estradiol phases out.
If your ovaries have been removed, you’ve lost your protective estrogen. If you haven’t had this surgery but have begun (or passed through) the menopause transition, you’re in this category too.
Why is estradiol important?
Produced during your childbearing years, estradiol serves many roles:
- Protects the bones by regulating remodeling, a process that breaks down and rebuilds bone
- When estradiol declines, not as much bone is rebuilt, leading to osteoporosis
- Helps your body absorb calcium from the foods you eat
- Keeps your heart and circulation healthy
- Maintains skin vitality
Along with a decline in estradiol levels, women move less as they age. This adds to the loss of bone mineral density, which leads to deterioration and osteoporosis. The result is an increased risk of fractures.
Loss of estradiol is a major cause of osteoporosis
In the early years of the menopause transition, women can lose up to 5% of bone density each year! After 5 years, the rate of loss slows to an average of 1% per year. So, women are fighting an uphill battle.
Can bone loss be stopped? Reversed?
Nutrition and exercise strategies can help stop (and possibly reverse) bone loss and prevent a fall (which is the #1 reason bones break).
Nutrition
Including foods with nutrients such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, protein, and vitamins A, C, and D can help prevent bone loss. Some of these are salmon, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and asparagus.
Exercise
Strength-building and balance-improving moves make bones denser and help prevent falls. A few moves that do both include squats, bird dogs, and planks.
Going forward
We cover the age-related decline in bone density and the lifestyle strategies that support healthier bones in our book, Eating for Better Bones.
Bone health is our business
Stephanie Turkel is a registered dietitian nutritionist based in Texas. She has 30 plus years of experience in the nutrition field. She now takes her gained knowledge and shares it with you to explain science articles into easy-to-understand information.
Grace Rivers, RDN, CDCES
Grace is a registered dietitian nutritionist residing in Texas. She has over 30 years of experience in nutrition. Grace loves translating science articles into easy-to-understand information for you.