To think osteoporosis is shockingly sidelined by healthcare professionals in the UK

I was also refused a bone scan when I asked. Lots of known risk factors including auto immune condition, steroids, history of breast cancer and a massive family history.
I got the dexa scan eventually and it revealed osteoporosis.
I live in a bit of a backwater as far as NHS services go. Postcode lottery.

But running and certainly not swimming will not be anywhere near as effective (I’m not sure about cycling, but I don’t think so). It’s great that there is no bone deterioration, but there are other much more effective exercises that you should have been advised to do.

None of the advice is a secret. There is plenty of material detailing what is needed. As the NHS is stretched thinner, we have to take ownership of our health more.

I've taken ownership of my own health all my life. Good diet, lots of weight bearing and strength exercise. But I was born tall with bones so thin I could fasten a child's watch around my ankle and have to cut the excess off the strap to wear one on my wrist, I had an easy menopause with no justification for an HRT prescription and I have an autoimmune condition that causes osteoporosis that is none of my own fault.

People like me with known risk factors should be being offered scans automatically, yet I was refused one when I asked for it.

It's really a no brainer for the NHS, a scan will cost them a few tens of pounds. A broken hip will cost a lot more even if they don't result in a hip replacement, which many do. It has to be cost effective over time, surely?

The swimming and cycling won’t promote bone growth, because they are non-weight bearing.

I take a drug post-bc that can cause osteoporosis, but I was informed of that fact as soon as I started taking it. I was advised to eat 30 different fruit & veg a week and to take four hours of vigorous exercise a week (I run, swim & cycle), to ensure I promote healthy bone growth.

I've taken responsibility for that, and recently had a four-yearly scan that showed no bone deterioration.

None of the advice is a secret. There is plenty of material detailing what is needed. As the NHS is stretched thinner, we have to take ownership of our health more.

Reading all this with interest, I have been given a terrible T score and I suppose I remain partly in denial of how serious it might be....
Im hoping that fish (tinned sardines bones and all) is better overall than red meat, which I don't eat all that much of. Though I alao consume a lot of dairy (mainly low fat yoghurt) and now worrying about that 😬. It's so hard to retain a sense of proportion isn't it? 😭

@W0tnowthanks that makes sense

thanks @Greenship!

I read an article that talked about high protein diets causing calcium to be lost in urine because amino acids are metabolized into acids that the body buffers with calcium. It was linked to a book that discussed the highest rates of hip fractures are in western countries were our diets are higher in calcium and protein than countries such as asia that as less protein and dairy heavy and where there is not an osteoporosis epidemic that we are facing here .. I imagine it is a lot more nuanced than that but it was interesting read ..

I have been weight training and taking Vit D for years and have a high protein diet so was wondering this this had caused my Osteo but I think more likely an unmedicated menopause and sedentary youth ,,

Edited to say thanks to ILoveDuckDuckGo for the additional info

Not a typo. It is super complex. Proteins get a free pass, worse, proteins do not get a safe limit when talking about anything. Right now there is a trend of more and more proteins to the point people are taking shakes to reach a protein goal made up based on an internet page or post.
Excess protein without the minerals or without the proper exercise will increase bone loss, not bone formation.

"Data suggested that, at high levels of dietary protein, at least a portion of the increase in urinary calcium reflected increased bone resorption [10]. Additionally, subjects on a low-carbohydrate high-protein (LCHP) diet for 6 weeks had increased urinary calcium levels, decreased calcium balance, and decreased serum osteocalcin concentrations [11]. In a prospective study, protein was associated with an increased risk of forearm fracture for women who consumed more than 95 g per day compared with those who consumed less than 68 g per day. Women who consumed five or more servings of red meat per week also had a significantly increased risk of forearm fracture compared with women who ate red meat less than once per week [12] … n another study the relationship of animal protein rich diet to calcium metabolism was investigated during a 12-day dietary period. An increase in urinary calcium excretion was found indicating that the animal protein-induced calciuric response could be a risk factor for the development of osteoporosis [16]. ”
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4045293/

I am talking about excess.

Yes that's what I thought- I was referring to the poster I quoted who had mentioned reducing protein, but maybe that was a typo. I have tried to increase protein where possible.

@Greenship Haven't heard anything about reducing protein- surely that's not good for developing muscles?

Increasing protein! I was told that a woman with osteoporosis should increase protein intake compared with someone without.

I only did 10 months of meds (alendronic acid) as I then started to get side effects and couldn't take the other prescriptions offered by the GP. I was referred to the hospital presumably for other options but by the time I got my appointment I had had another Dexa which showed improvement so haven't had to go back on medication (for now).

When i got my diagnosis I started strength training twice a week, focusing on weighted squats and lunges and other moves using dumbells. Have done this for nearly 4 years now - I definitely ignored the advice of the osteo nurse to only use resistance bands (if I had done this I am sure I wouldn't have improved my scores so much).

I haven't really done much diet wise apart from taking vit d, making sure I get enough calcium and protein. Haven't heard anything about reducing protein- surely that's not good for developing muscles?

There are lots of good fb sites about osteoporosis- I like Strong Bones and Brickhouse Bones - lots of inspiration about exercises . And the Liftmor study which has been mentioned here has also been a source of inspiration.

Ha ha, yes. I lost five stone of muscle and bone on Mounjaro, and now I'm just a puddle.

OP, I think osteoporosis is quite well known about for women? Ask a thirty year old about the benefits of load bearing exercise.

K2 can be brutal on the stomach. I tried it and ended up with severe gastritis.

I have osteoporosis, diagnosed age 62 after a dexa scan.
Yes the drugs have potentially nasty side effects but all powerful drugs do and not everyone gets them. They also work.

There needs to be awareness at a very early age. Teens and 20s are when bones are built and getting the right nutrition and exercise then is vital. It's not unhelpful to start in your 50s but it's far too late to make much difference.
Young people being underweight, lack of exercise and poor diet are huge risk factors. Vegan diet high risk unless a great deal of care is taken.

The Royal Osteoporosis Society are an excellent source of advice. The main thing I learned apart from the obvious need for calcium and vitamin d is that protein is as important. I have to make a huge effort to eat more protein than I would choose to and I'm a meat eater.

Just to add that it's a strange disease because you don't necessarily have any symptoms unless you fall and break something. It's hard to take a treatment for something when you're asymptomatic. You also have to be more risk averse. I don't walk on ice.

I was diagnosed after a fracture. I have a daily prescription for calcium and vitamin D plus an aclasta drip once a year. Jaw/teeth problems is a side effect of aclasta but it's extremely rare.

Some of us weren't offered it - no symptoms = no HRT.

Thank you. Yeah I've already broken my hip once, that was how they found the osteopetrosis. I don't want it happening again!

I will definitely look into getting a second opinion. I mean I don't even think I had a first opinion. I did the scan then this bloke waffles on about teeth falling out and leaves my bedside, then it was never mentioned again!

@Greenship interested to hear that you reversed it in 3 years with just 10 months meds.. Just got a score of -2.7 and am not clear on if I could reverse this early stage through diet and exercise - why did you only do 10 months? Did a DEXA scan show an improvement in that time?

I am assuming exercise was resistance and impact? What diet did you follow as I see all sorts of stuff around reducing protein to make body more alkaline and giving up coffee - was there a particular programme you did as your story is giving me hope! - and well done!

It's amazing how many GPs don't know about the necessity of K2 with vitamin D

Its an interesting link thank you but honestly this bit made me laugh:

New figures from YouGov have revealed that 79% of UK adults – that’s almost 8 in 10 of us – have never checked our bone health. More worrying still, that includes three-quarters of women, who face the greatest risk

This smacks of blaming patients. There is no routine bone scanning available on the NHS and they are not that readily available even with symptoms. Private scans are not cheap. IME non specialist medics are not good on the multifactorial risk factors in women’s health - I’m struggling to think of any commenting on bone health when I presented with risk factors. Hopefully this scheme will increase education on interacting risk factors for primary healthcare providers.

Just out of curiosity, if your mum is 87, unless she had you incredibly late, are you sure it's going to be ages before you're menopausal? With a family history, I'd push for another DEXA sooner rather than later.

This is utter tosh and you really should demand a referral to someone competent (phrased as “second opinion”). Osteoporosis needs treating but not by someone who plainly has no clue. Maintaining a good diet and gentle weight bearing activity plans can help but are not going to reverse significant bone thinning on its own.

Bisphosphonates can be taken orally as regular medication or injected less frequently. There are many variations to work through to find the right combo. You may also be a candidate for HRT+Calcium/VitD supplements which has made a significant difference to me.

In some people bisphosponates caused bone hardening in a way which makes it advisable to avoid dental implants. This is why dentists will ask about them if you are planning significant dental work - they may want to spend more time looking at X-rays and ensuring you are a suitable candidate. An HCP who translates that into “your teeth will fall out” should be sacked.

The risks of osteoporosis in older age are greater for most people than any of the threatments. Think being in your 70s having broken your hip and being immobile for the multi year wait for a replacement. Get that second opinion.

I have voted that YABU because I think I have had excellent care regarding my bone density and I think there is lots of NHS advice about Vit D supplements and women doing some strength training exercise as they mature.

Perhaps it is because I was on corticosteroids for over a year (to reduce some organ inflammation) but I get periodic Dexa scans (every 5 years) and am prescribed Calcichew (Calcium + Vit D). When my bone density slipped from osteopeania to osteoperosis, I was sent to the osteoperosis clinic who advised exercise while monitoring and then signed me off when my bone density crept back out of the danger zone. If it had not improved, I would have been prescribed other medication. There is good advice and treatment out there but you have to tune in and be proactive.

There's so much advice on this thread.