Regular exercise and the right diet can help reduce the likelihood of bone fractures for those with osteoporosis.

Dr Leonard Koh, a consultant endocrinologist at Gleneagles Medical Centre, has this healthy advice:

- Exercise 30 to 40 minutes at least three times a week.

- Weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, tennis or dancing are beneficial.

- Balance exercises such as taiji are good for the elderly.

- Include resistance exercises such as free weights too.

- Do not over-exercise however. Excessive weight loss or cessation of menstruation can be detrimental to bones.

- A balanced diet that is rich in calcium from various food sources is better than relying on a single calcium source such as milk or calcium supplements.

- Do include dairy products high in calcium such as milk, cheese and yogurt in your diet.

-Those who are lactose intolerant should eat calcium-rich foods such as kai lan, chye sim, spinach, yellow dahl, soya products fortified with calcium and fish such as ikan bilis and sardines.

- Calcium supplements are a good and convenient form of calcium.

- Vitamin D helps the intestines to absorb calcium from one's diet. To obtain vitamin D, sun exposure on the face, hands and arms is recommended. For fair-skinned individuals, spending about 10 minutes in the sun two to three times a week is adequate. Darker-skinned individuals may require longer exposure.

This story was first published in Mind your body, The Straits Times, on Oct 16, 2008.

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