Women 40-60

One in two women and one in five men over the age of 50 in the UK will break a bone, mainly because of osteoporosis. Exactly why this happens is still not fully understood.

Osteoporosis has no symptoms. The first clue may be seen if you have an X-ray for some other reason, or you fracture a bone.

Whether you have osteoporosis or just want to build strong bones for the future, there are several things you can do to maintain your bones.

Eat calcium-rich foods

Adults should eat at least 700mg of calcium a day, and 1,200mg if diagnosed with osteoporosis. You could consume 700mg in one day by eating a yoghurt, a cheese sandwich, a handful of almonds and a spinach salad.

Get your sunshine quota

Your body needs vitamin D to help it absorb calcium. Vitamin D is found in oily fish, liver, fortified spreads and cereals, and egg yolks. Your body also makes its own vitamin D when you're exposed to sunshine.

Most people in the UK get enough vitamin D by spending 15 minutes in the sun two to three times a week. Generally, normal levels that are built up in the summer will be enough to last through the winter.

Go easy on the protein

Excessive amounts of meat, cheese and protein make body acid, which drains the body of calcium and weakens bones. Keep your diet balanced.

Your meals should contain protein (meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds), fresh fruit and vegetables, and carbohydrates (bread, pasta, potatoes and rice).

Quit smoking

The more you smoke, the more likely you’ll get osteoporosis. Aim to cut down or, better still, quit smoking altogether.

Cut out the salt

Salt is thought to speed up the body’s loss of calcium. Most of us consume 9g of salt a day, but the recommended limit is 6g, which is just a teaspoonful. Don’t add salt to your food, and look at food labels to help you cut down.

Avoid foods that contain 1.5g of salt per 100g (or 0.6g of sodium) or more. Crisps, ham, cheese, cooking sauces and processed foods such as pies, pizza and soups are all high in salt.

Be active

Bones get stronger when you use them. The best way to strengthen them is to do at least five hours of "weight-bearing" exercise a week. This includes walking, running, dancing, golf, tennis or netball. It doesn’t include cycling or swimming (although swimming is good for staying flexible).

Bones also benefit if you lift and carry things. Weight training is ideal, but carrying shopping, gardening and housework all count.

Drink sensibly

Alcohol, tea, coffee, cola and other fizzy drinks reduce the amount of calcium you absorb, and weaken bones. Stick to the recommended amounts of alcohol, and swap your caffeine-fuelled drinks for water and diluted juice.

Maintain a healthy weight

Losing too much weight too fast under a crash diet can increase your risk of osteoporosis. The same is true if you're anorexic (or, for women, if you're so thin that your periods have stopped).

Weight loss can cut the amount of oestrogen (a hormone that helps to protect your bones) in your body. If you need to lose weight, do it sensibly.

Did you know that women are three times more likely to die of heart disease than breast cancer?

In the years following the menopause, your risk of getting heart disease rises significantly. But you can take simple steps to protect yourself.

1. Get checked

If you’re over 40, ask your GP about having a health check to assess your risk of developing heart disease. This would include checking your blood pressure and cholesterol level.

If your blood pressure or cholesterol level is higher than it should be, this increases your risk of heart disease. Your GP can suggest lifestyle changes or, if necessary, prescribe medication to reduce your blood pressure or cholesterol.

Read more about the NHS health check for over-40s.

2. Stop smoking

You’re twice as likely to have a heart attack if you smoke. Over the past few decades, men have increasingly quit smoking but women haven’t been stopping smoking as much. In fact, more young women now smoke than young men. Stopping smoking will lessen your chances of developing heart disease.

Find out how the NHS can help you stop smoking.

3. Get moving

Only about one woman in four in England does enough physical activity to protect her heart. Try to do more exercise, including regular aerobic exercise such as walking and swimming. To protect your heart, you need to do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (such as cycling or fast walking) every week.

Read more about how to get fit.

4. Lose weight if you need to

About six in every ten women in England are either overweight or obese. Carrying excess weight puts a strain on your heart, and you’re more likely to have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which also increase the risk of heart disease. 

Read more about how to lose weight.

5. Change shape

Your shape matters as well as your weight. Like many women in the 40-60 age group, you may be apple shaped, where excess weight settles around your waist. Being apple shaped puts you at higher risk of heart disease than being pear shaped, where excess weight is concentrated on the hips. Aim for a waistline of less than 80cm (31.5 inches).

Read more about why your body shape matters.

6. Drink wisely

Drinking a little alcohol regularly may be good for your heart, but make sure you stay within the recommended limits. Drinking more will increase your risk of heart problems. Heart healthy drinking for women is one or two units of alcohol a day. If you drink more than this, you’ll increase your risk of heart disease. Too much alcohol, or binge-drinking, can damage the heart muscle leading to abnormal heart rhythms or heart failure.

Read more about alcohol units and how to cut down your drinking.

7. Balance your diet

Eat healthily and be especially careful not to eat more salt than is recommended (no more than 6g a day) and to cut down on the amount of saturated fat you eat.

Read more about how to cut down on salt and saturated fat and have a healthy diet.

8. Don’t rely on hormones

Doctors used to think that using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopausal symptoms also protected women against heart disease. Research now suggests that HRT isn’t heart protective and, as with all drug treatments, there are side effects. Take HRT if you need it to relieve menopausal hot flushes and night sweats, but don’t expect it to help your heart.

Read more about HRT.

9. Manage your stress

Some studies have suggested that stress can contribute to heart disease. If you feel under a lot of stress, it's important to learn how to relax. There are some simple techniques you can learn to help you cope with stress. If you feel so stressed and anxious that it's affecting your daily life, your GP can help you deal with it.

Read more about how to manage stress.

In 2008, more than 17,900 women were diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK, making it the third most common cancer in women after breast cancer and bowel cancer.

Lung cancer is declining among men, but the rate among women remains high. Between 1993 and 2008, cases of lung cancer in men fell by almost a third, while cases in women increased by 11%. 

In the 1950s, for every case of lung cancer in women, there were six in men. That ratio is now three cases in women for every four in men, according to Cancer Research UK.

Women smoke more than men

The difference is due to smoking. Over the past few decades, men have increasingly quit smoking and their risk of lung cancer has dropped accordingly.

But women haven’t given up smoking at the same rates as men. In fact, more young women smoke now than young men. One study found that there has been a 5% increase in smoking since 1992 among women aged 16-25.

Young girls, especially, are increasingly taking up the habit.

One in four 16-year-old girls smokes compared with one in five boys of the same age. And 16% of 15-year-old girls are regular smokers compared to 14% of boys.

The number of under-16 girl smokers increased from 28% in 1992 to 37% in 2009. Among men, this proportion remained at around 40% over the same period, according to Cancer Research UK statistics.

Smoking is only part of the story, however. A high proportion of lung cancers in women occur in those who have never smoked (about one in six). There are other important differences between the sexes that make women more vulnerable than men. 

Women’s lungs are more vulnerable

Several studies have indicated that women are more susceptible to developing lung cancer than men. Female smokers are twice as likely to develop lung cancer than male smokers, even when they smoke fewer cigarettes over a shorter period of time. Even among non-smokers, the risk of developing lung cancer is higher among women than men.  

The reason isn’t clear, but it could be genetic. Scientists have discovered that a gene that speeds up lung cancer growth is more active in women. Studies have also suggested that the female hormone, oestrogen, may play a part in the development of lung cancer among women.

Women are more addicted to smoking

Women tend to find it harder to give up smoking than men. They have a higher rate of relapse and are much less likely to succeed using nicotine replacement products such as gum. 

Scientists think this is because women are less physically dependent on nicotine than men but more behaviourally addicted, which is a more difficult type of addiction to kick. 

A useful fact for women trying to give up smoking is that you’re twice as likely to succeed if you stop in the second half of your menstrual cycle. The high levels of the hormone progesterone in your bloodstream at this point in your cycle can help to move nicotine out of your system more quickly, therefore reducing withdrawal symptoms.

The good news

It’s not all bad news for women. On the positive side: 

• Evidence suggests that when women quit smoking, their lungs recover more quickly than men's.
• Women with lung cancer usually live longer than men with the disease. 

Find lots of advice and practical tips for stopping smoking.

Perfect pasta

An average ready-meal lasagne can cost £3.99 at the supermarket, and one portion can contain up to 632 calories. Add a cheesy garlic bread and a bottle of coke, and the cost rises to about £6.40. But the total cost of this convenience meal may be as bad for your waistline as your wallet, clocking up around 967 calories.

If you swap your microwave meal for a home-cooked alternative, you can save in calories and cash.

Method
For a low-cost meal for one, fry 100g of lean beef mince with half an onion, one garlic clove and a grated carrot. Stir in a tin of tomatoes and 100g of cooked pasta, sprinkle 30g of cheese on top and bake for 20 minutes.

For just £4.28 you can buy enough ingredients to feed four people, at just over £1 per person, and the calorie content per portion is just 703.

You save:
£5.29 and 264 calories.

Instant Indian

Everyone enjoys a night in with an Indian takeaway, but a korma with rice and naan bread can amount to as many as 815 calories per portion. Buy it ready-made from a supermarket and you’ll pay around £5.13. Order it from a restaurant, and the price could be £8 to £10.

Making your own version is quick and easy, and at around £4.50 for four people, or £1.13 per person, it's also far cheaper.

Method
Fry some diced chicken breast pieces in as little oil as possible until golden brown. When it comes to the sauce, try a tomato-based sauce rather than one that is cream based and higher in fat. You can buy jars of ready-made sauce in supermarkets. Serve with 70g of basmati rice and a plain naan bread. One portion then adds up to just 576 calories.

You save:
£4 and 239 calories.

Pizza paradise

Pizza is a popular choice when you need a quick and easy bite to eat. But once you’ve loaded on the toppings and added a side order of potato wedges, it’s both expensive and fattening. The average takeaway pizza costs around £10, and if you add a fizzy drink and potato wedges it adds up to a massive 1,060 calories: that's almost half the daily allowance for a woman.

Method
Making your own pizza is fun and easy, and a ready-made pizza base can cost as little as 99p. All you have to do is add a couple of tablespoons of shop-bought passata sauce for a simple tomato topping. Top with slices from half a ball of mozzarella cheese and some chopped peppers and grill under a medium heat until the peppers are soft. The total cost is £2.91, and the calorie count is almost halved, at 688.

You save:
£7.09 and 372 calories.

All calorie counts are based on products from a leading supermarket. Products from other supermarkets may vary in price and calorie count, so use these values as an approximate guide only.

Top tips for cooking at home

Follow these tips to make sure your diet is good for your body and your bank balance:

• Buy only enough fresh fruit and vegetables for the next couple of days, so they won’t end up going off in the bottom of your fridge.
• Remember, when it comes to fruit and veg, dried, frozen and canned (in juice, not syrup) are just as good as fresh.
• Grow your own ingredients: if you live in a flat, plant some herbs in a window box. They're easy to grow and a great way to add some quick and easy flavour to your meals cheaply. If you have a bigger garden, try planting low-maintenance vegetables, such as potatoes and carrots.
• Shop at local markets. They're often cheaper than supermarkets and offer a wide variety of fruit and vegetables.
• Buy fruit and vegetables that are in season: this usually makes them cheaper. For information on what’s in season, visit the Eat Seasonably website.

More information

There are more ideas for healthy meals that you can make at home in Healthy recipes.

Learn more about healthy eating for you and your family in Food and diet.

Get information and advice on weight loss in Lose weight.