How to boost bone health in your 60s

Doing weight-bearing exercises is vital to better bone density.

- By CAMILLA FOSTER

ONE of the most important, yet frequently neglected, aspects of healthy ageing is maintaining strong bones.

We got in touch with two physiotherapists at Nuffield Health to understand why prioritising bone health is essential and to find out what steps we can take to maintain and improve it.

Why is bone health important?

“Generally, we will tend to see bone density gradually increase until our 20s-30s and then we tend to see a decline in bone density from there,” says Josh Slater, senior physiotherapist at Nuffield Health Leeds Hospital. “Typical bone density loss is around 1-3 per cent per year or 10-30 per cent per decade. This can lead to bones becoming more brittle and susceptible to fractures.

“This can be compounded by a reduction in strength/power and mobility meaning slips, trips and falls can become more common.”

Vitamin D and calcium play an important role in bone health.