Each year on October 20, the international community observes World Osteoporosis Day (WOD) to raise awareness about the silent, yet widespread, bone-weakening disease known as Osteoporosis.[1]
In 2025 the theme is “It’s Unacceptable!” — shining a spotlight on the preventable fracture risk, under-diagnosis, and inadequate treatment of osteoporosis worldwide.

For readers of nellikka.life, this is more than a date on the calendar—it’s an important reminder that bone health matters at every stage of life, and especially in an aging population in India where dietary, lifestyle and healthcare gaps persist.

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is often called a “silent disease” because it can progress without symptoms—until a fracture occurs.[2]
In essence:

• Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mass decrease, making bones weaker and more prone to fractures from even minor bumps or falls.
• It is not just about brittle bones in the elderly—bone health is a lifetime concern. (Indeed, one of the 2025 focus-areas is bone health across the lifespan.[3]
• When a fracture happens due to osteoporosis, it often affects the spine, hip or wrist—areas with high morbidity and even mortality. [4]

Why this matters for India

In India, with rising life-expectancy and changing lifestyle (sedentary jobs, less outdoor time, dietary shifts), we are increasingly at risk. Coupled with lower awareness of bone health, this means the “silent epidemic” of osteoporosis can have serious consequences: fractures, loss of independence, disability, higher healthcare costs.

Key Risk-Factors & Who Should Be Alert

Non-modifiable (you cannot change)

• Age: Bone density peaks by ~30-35 years and gradually declines thereafter. [5]
• Gender: Women—especially post-menopausal—are at higher risk due to hormonal changes (drop in oestrogen).
• Family history of osteoporosis or prior fragility fracture. [6]
• Ethnicity: Some studies show Asian and Caucasian heritage have higher risk in certain settings.

Modifiable (you can act on these)

• Low calcium and vitamin D intake: Poor diet and lack of sun exposure contribute.[7]
• Physical inactivity / sedentary lifestyle: Without weight-bearing exercise, bone loss accelerates.
• Smoking: Tobacco harms bone-building cells and impairs blood flow to bone.
• Excessive alcohol use: Chronic heavy drinking increases fracture risk.
• Certain medications or chronic diseases: Long-term steroids, rheumatoid arthritis, endocrine disorders can accelerate bone loss.

If you are a woman above 50, someone with a prior fracture, someone with low calcium diet, or you smoke/drink heavily, you should raise your bone-health awareness now.

Prevention: Strong Bones Are Not By Chance

What’s empowering is that osteoporosis is largely preventable or manageable if detected early. Here are the pillars of bone health:

1. Nutrition: Feed Your Bones

• Aim for sufficient calcium intake: For most adults, about 1,000 mg/day; older women may need ~1,200 mg.
• Ensure adequate vitamin D (which helps absorb calcium): e.g., ~600-800 IU/day or as advised by your doctor.
• Don’t forget protein, magnesium, vitamin K and overall balanced diet: Fruits, vegetables, dairy, fish, legumes matter.

2. Exercise: Use Your Bones to Keep Them Strong

• Regular weight-bearing exercises (walking, jogging, dancing) and resistance training (weights, bands) boost bone strength. [8]
• Also include balance and posture training to prevent falls (which lead to fractures). [9]

3. Lifestyle Habits: Control the Risks

• Quit smoking.
• Limit alcohol consumption.
• Maintain healthy body weight—being too thin (BMI < 19) increases risk.
• Minimize fall risks at home (loose rugs, poor lighting) and consult a physician for medications that may weaken bone or balance.

4. Early Detection & Medical Management

• If you are at risk, ask your doctor about a bone-density screening (DEXA scan). Early detection enables early intervention.
• If diagnosed with osteoporosis, medications may be prescribed alongside lifestyle changes — but the foundation remains diet, exercise and fall-prevention.[10]

Osteoporosis Awareness in 2025: Why the Theme MattersThe 2025 campaign theme “It’s Unacceptable!” is timely for three reasons:

1. There remains a huge treatment gap: Many people who fracture due to osteoporosis never receive follow-up diagnosis or treatment.
2. It emphasizes bone health across the lifespan, not just in the elderly. Youth, adults, middle-aged all carry the “bone health bank account” for later.
3. It calls for public health action, policy changes, better screening programmes, and fractured-care pathways—not just individual awareness.

For nellikka.life, this means focusing on how each reader can act, and how communities—especially in semi-urban and rural India—can raise bone-health literacy.

Practical Checklist: What You Can Do Today

Here’s a ready-to-use checklist for your readers:

Considerations for Indian Context & Cultural Relevance

• Indian diets often tend to be low in calcium or vitamin D, particularly for women and in urban settings with less sun exposure.
• The menopause transition for Indian women often goes unmonitored—bone-loss accelerates, but screening remains low.
• Rural/under-resourced areas may lack access to DEXA scans or specialist support—hence the need for widespread awareness and community screening camps.
• Traditional interventions (yoga, walking clubs, community gatherings) can be harnessed for “bone health together” models.
• Low-cost messaging (“your bones are silent until they break”) resonates in a setting where fracture-care costs are high and societal support may be limited.

Why This Matters to You—and to Anyone Who Cares

• Strong bones = strong life: mobility, independence, fewer hospital stays, better quality of life.
• A fracture due to osteoporosis is not just a bone problem: it affects overall health, productivity, and well-being.
• Prevention is cost-effective: lifestyle changes and early screening cost far less than long-term fracture care.
• This is intergenerational: the habits one adopts today influence the bone health of children, grandchildren.

This October 20, as we mark World Osteoporosis Day 2025 under the banner “It’s Unacceptable!”, let’s shift the narrative from “wait until I’m older” to “protect my bones today”. At nellikka.life, we encourage you to treat bone health as a living asset—one that you nurture, monitor, and protect through your life.

Because brittle bones are not inevitable—and strong living doesn’t have to wait.

Take action today. Build better bones for tomorrow.