We all know the older we get the more likely it is that something can go wrong. When I turned 50 a letter popped through the post from the doctors surgery to say that I was now entitled to a full Well Woman check up, never one to turn a freebie down I made the appointment to discover (thankfully) that my blood pressure, weight, resting heart rate were all good – breathes a sigh of relief – I also had blood tests and a smear test which came back all clear. Having “passed” with flying colours my next appointment was with the mobile breast screening screening clinic for a mammogram that X-Rays your breasts to check for any signs of breast cancer which if detected in the early stages treatment is more effective. Thankfully everything was clear so with a huge sigh of relief I felt that my body wasn’t in to bad a shape for a now 51 year old.
However, both my doctor and osteopath had suggested that I go for a bone density scan as my risk of osteoporosis is higher because I suffered with anorexia for over 15 year and I’m going through my menopause, both very good reasons to be checked out.
The Link Between Anorexia Nervosa and Osteoporosis
Anorexia has significant physical consequences. Affected individuals can experience nutritional and hormonal problems that negatively impact bone density. Low body weight in females causes the body to stop producing estrogen, resulting in a condition known as amenorrhea, or absent menstrual periods. Low estrogen levels contribute to significant losses in bone density.
In addition, individuals with anorexia often produce excessive amounts of the adrenal hormone cortisol, which is known to trigger bone loss. Other problems, such as a decrease in the production of growth hormone and other growth factors, low body weight (apart from the estrogen loss it causes), calcium deficiency, and malnutrition, contribute to bone loss in girls and women with anorexia. Weight loss, restricted dietary intake, and testosterone deficiency may be responsible for the low bone density found in males with the disorder.
Studies suggest that low bone mass (osteopenia) is common in people with anorexia and that it occurs early in the course of the disease. Girls with anorexia are less likely to reach their peak bone density and therefore may be at increased risk for osteoporosis and fracture throughout life.
Osteoporosis often goes undiagnosed in men as it’s considered to be a “female” problem, but one in five men over the age of 50 will break a bone mainly due to osteoporosis.
On Tuesday I drove to the Medway and Maritime Hospital for my appointment. I handed my form in only to discover that I had only filled in one side (stupid me) so while I was filling in the missing sections another lady turned up with her partner to be scanned.
I was quite shocked to see how thin, fragile and ill she looked, sadly obviously still suffering with an eating disorder and it really brought it home to me how lucky I was to have recovered – would I look like that now if I still had anorexia? it really didn’t bear thinking about. I think she was about 40ish years old.
The nurse called me in, weighed me and checked that I didn’t have any metal on me, i.e. zips or earings as the scanner picks up the metal particles in the bone. I was then asked to lie down on the scanner – thankfully with clothes on!
A bone density test can see if you have normal bone density, low bone density (osteopenia) or osteoporosis. The lower your bone density, the greater your risk of breaking a bone. The scanner uses X-rays to measure how many grams of calcium and other bone minerals are found in a segment of bone. First my hip was scanned followed by my spine during which time I had to remain very still but thankfully was still able to chat to the nurse!
The whole process takes 15 minutes and is totally painless plus you can keep your clothes on. My results will take about 2 weeks to come through but I’m hoping that the running should have helped improve my bone density, although I have read that runners who do between 20 – 30km per week benefit the most from increasing their bone density, while runners who regularly exceed this distance risk elevating their blood levels of cortisol, a hormone produced in the adrenal glands that can break down bone health. Athletes who run approximately 90 km per week have shown levels of bone density that are lower than those found in physically inactive individuals – that’s not good news.
I will let you know how I get on – fingers crossed.
Happy Training.
