What can I do to keep my bones healthy?

The following steps may help prevent or slow bone loss:

• Include plenty of calcium in your diet. For adults ages 19 to 50 and men ages 51 to 70, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day. The recommendation goes to 1,200 mg a day for women age 51 and older and for men age 71 and older.

  Good sources of calcium include dairy products, turnip greens, salmon and canned salmon with bones, sardines, tuna, and soy products, such as tofu. If it's hard to get enough calcium from your diet, ask your healthcare professional about taking a calcium supplement.

• Get enough vitamin D. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. For adults ages 19 to 70, the RDA of vitamin D is 600 international units (IUs) a day. The recommendation goes to 800 IUs a day for adults age 71 and older.

  Good sources of vitamin D include oily fish, such as salmon, trout, tuna and mackerel. Some foods also have vitamin D added to them, such as milk, cereals and orange juice. Sunlight helps the body make vitamin D too. If you're worried about getting enough vitamin D, ask your healthcare professional about taking a supplement.

• Stay active. Weight-bearing exercises can help you build strong bones and slow bone loss. Examples include brisk walking, jogging, dancing, climbing stairs, and playing soccer, tennis and pickleball.
• Don't use tobacco or drink too much. If you'd like help to stop using tobacco, talk to your healthcare professional. If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. For healthy adults, that means up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men.
• Ask about medicines. If you have to take any medicine for a long time, ask your healthcare professional if that might affect your bones. If so, talk about steps you can take to keep your bones healthy.

If you're worried about bone health or you have risk factors for osteoporosis, talk to your healthcare professional. Also talk to your healthcare professional about bone health if you break a bone when you're older than 50. You may need a bone density test. The results of that test show your level of bone density. The test results also can help your care team check your rate of bone loss and other measures of bone health. Using that information along with your risk factors, your healthcare professional can decide if medicine to help slow bone loss may be a good choice for you.