But don’t wait till you have a fall to look after your bone health, as it might be too late! Learn how to start looking after your bone's to keep them consistently strong.

Poor bone metabolism is characterised by the loss of bone mineral density and mass, which in turns weakens bones and makes them susceptible to fractures. The risk of low bone density increases significantly with age, and yet those affected rarely realise they have a problem until they have a fall that results in a fracture; in fact, according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, an astonishing 200 million women are affected by low bone density.  

Your body’s bone repair and replacement process is regulated by osteoblasts (cells that build up the skeleton) and osteoclasts (cells that break down the skeleton). As long as your bone-forming activity (absorption) exceeds bone-breakdown activity (resorption), your bones will remain healthy. You can support and improve your odds of maintaining this balance by providing your bones with the right nutrients.  

Calcium is widely accepted as being the nutrient that is most important for bone health. However, some studies have raised concerns that excessive calcium supplementation may trigger heart disease, and this has caused some people to stop taking calcium. This can be a big mistake, because the body cannot make calcium on its own, and it relies on dietary and supplemental forms to maintain adequate levels. In order to protect both your bones and your heart health, the answer is to take calcium together with vitamin K2, because this vitamin is critical in ensuring the correct regulation of calcium metabolism. Vitamin K2 has proven clinical evidence that it stops calcium from being deposited into arteries and blood vessels, and ensures the calcium is deposited into your bones, improving bone mineral density, bone mineral content and bone strength.

Bone health is not just a concern for older people. In fact, the odds of developing a bone disease later in life are closely linked to the amount of bone mass accumulated before age 30, so adopting good bone-building habits early is essential. Up to 90 percent of peak bone mass is acquired by age 18 in girls and by age 20 in boys, and just a 10 percent increase in bone mass will halve that child’s risk of osteoporotic fracture in adult life.

New wholefood plant-sourced calcium supplements can deliver as many as 74 different minerals, most notably calcium and magnesium. The benefit of taking calcium in this form is you get the benefit of a mineral rich, readily absorbed supplement.