By Alvin Lim

Not building up bone health when one is young leads to a higher risk of osteoporosis later.

Commonly known as a condition of the elderly, this disease of the skeleton causes one's bones to become brittle and fragile from loss of bone mass, typically as a result of hormonal changes or deficiency in calcium or vitamin D.

Osteoporosis can be prevented by including enough calcium in your diet, exposure to sunshine (for the body to manufacture vitamin D) and performing sufficient weight-bearing exercise, said

Dr Yung Shing Wai, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at MD Specialist Healthcare.

Regular exercise, proper diet and an active lifestyle come more easily in your youth, a crucial period to build up bone mass. However, many of these good habits go straight out the window as soon as you begin your professional lives.

Drinking too much coffee or tea, smoking and not keeping to a sound diet will lead to decreased bone mass.

In today's fast-paced society, it is not surprising that young working adults do not watch their diets or have enough exercise, said Dr Leslie Leong, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Island Orthopaedic Consultants.

Adequate daily calcium intake is important for good bone health, said Dr Yung. He added that low calcium levels are mainly related to inadequate intake, particularly in pregnancy and lactation.

Unfortunately, many Asians (Chinese in particular) are lactose intolerant and unable to drink milk.

'Milk and other milk products such as cheese and yogurt are by far the best sources of calcium,' said Dr Yung.

He added: 'If you are not taking enough calcium in your diet, you may have to consider supplements.'

Dr Yung also noted that sports injuries suffered in a person's youth could lead to the person giving up on exercise altogether. Lower limb injuries can affect running and jumping sports, while upper limb injuries can affect racquet games and swimming.

However, he said, 'even if there are permanent injuries, there are always alternative forms of exercise'.

Juggling both the pressures of work and taking care of a young family is no mean feat. This often makes allotting time for exercise the last thing on a person's mind.

However, it can be done. Dr Leong recommends building short exercise periods into one's lifestyle - about 15 to 20 minutes of weight-bearing exercise a day.

For example, walking an extra five to 10 minutes by taking a longer route can make a difference. For those with children, Dr Leong suggests taking them out for family walks on weekends.

He said: 'Spend an extra 10 minutes or so playing football with your kids. It's a great way to bond with your family too.'

This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times.