{"id":2336,"date":"2026-06-18T08:07:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T08:07:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=2336"},"modified":"2026-06-18T08:07:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T08:07:38","slug":"you-really-need-to-be-thinking-more-about-your-skeleton-before-its-too-late","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=2336","title":{"rendered":"You really need to be thinking more about your skeleton \u2014 before it’s too late"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Your skin tends to steal the spotlight in the summer \u2014 it needs a lot of SPF and TLC to stay healthy.<\/p>\n

Read more Hegseth urges Europe to take lead in \u2018NATO 3.0\u2019 reboot<\/a><\/p>\n

But don\u2019t forget about your bones! Regardless of the season, bone health is often overlooked until it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n

Building a strong skeleton is important for protecting organs, storing essential minerals and, quite literally, keeping you upright.<\/p>\n

As we age, declining hormone levels accelerate bone breakdown, increasing the risk of bone-related conditions such as osteopenia and osteoporosis. Porous and brittle bones can easily lead to fractures, especially among older adults.<\/p>\n

\u201cBone loss is the silent disease,\u201d Dr. Hazim Moustafa, a primary care sports medicine physician at Catholic Health, told The Post. \u201cAnd we say that because usually there are no obvious, visible signs until it becomes more advanced.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moustafa shares who is most at risk for significant bone loss \u2014 and how to head it off.<\/p>\n

Peak bone mass is earlier than you might think<\/h2>\n

Reaching your greatest bone density \u2014 when your skeleton is at its strongest and densest \u2014 happens sooner than you might expect.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of our peak bone mass is really occurring in our late teens and early 30s,\u201d Moustafa said. \u201cOnce we get into our mid- to late-30s and we progress through life, our bone mass usually starts to drop off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Puberty triggers a surge in hormones and growth factors that fuel rapid bone development. As puberty ends, the growth plates at the ends of long bones harden into solid bone and the skeleton stops expanding.<\/p>\n

The time when you should start caring about bone loss<\/h2>\n

\u201cA lot of people think that when they\u2019re entering their 30s \u2026 they have a lot of time left. They have their 40s, their 50s to worry about this,\u201d Moustafa said.<\/p>\n

Yet the late-20s and early-30s are when people tend to become \u201cmore career-oriented or family-oriented. They\u2019re not spending as much time in the gym,\u201d he added. \u201cThey\u2019re not spending as much time doing physical activity, and that\u2019s really when this process starts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of waiting until middle age, you should focus on incorporating strength training into your routine and eating healthfully in your late-20s and early-30s.<\/p>\n

Signs you\u2019re losing bone mass<\/h2>\n

Bone loss doesn\u2019t often spur early symptoms, but there are some subtle indicators of problems afoot.<\/p>\n

Calcium is key to building and maintaining strong bones. Vitamin D, also known as \u201cthe sunshine vitamin,\u201d enables your body to properly absorb calcium from food.<\/p>\n

Read more Teen tourist killed after NYC carriage horse gets startled, bolts in Central Park<\/a><\/p>\n

Deficiencies in these two nutrients drive bone loss \u2014 and they\u2019re easy to detect with blood tests. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn our patient population in New York, where a lot of our patients are indoors, there is a little bit of an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency,\u201d Moustafa said.<\/p>\n

You may be tempted to undergo a bone density scan \u2014 a popular feature at longevity clinics \u2014 but health organizations tend to primarily recommend these screenings to postmenopausal women, the group most at risk for rapid bone loss. \u201cIf you have high risk, then definitely it\u2019s worth doing,\u201d Moustafa said of the scans.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if you\u2019re a relatively [healthy] person, then the information that you\u2019re going to get from that is likely not going to be that beneficial because most of the time [osteoporosis] is a process that takes many, many years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Older adults, meanwhile, might experience a loss of height, a rounded, hunched back, a lengthy recovery from injuries and a propensity for fractures, which is an advanced sign of bone disease.<\/p>\n

Groups most at risk for significant bone loss<\/h2>\n

Postmenopausal women are the highest-risk group for osteoporosis because a steep drop in estrogen causes bone resorption to outpace bone formation.<\/p>\n

Age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass \u2014 a condition known as sarcopenia, which affects both sexes \u2014 is also tied to osteoporosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always say to my patients, if you\u2019re not actively moving and using your muscles, then you\u2019re losing it, especially as you get older,\u201d Moustafa said.<\/p>\n

Other at-risk groups:<\/p>\n