Imagine if a simple act, such as bending over or even coughing, could break one of your bones. This scenario is a reality for the 10 million Americans with osteoporosis. The progressive condition causes bones to become fragile and brittle, so that even a small amount of stress is dangerous. In fact, nearly half of all women and one in four men will experience an osteoporosis-related bone fracture sometime during their lives.

Under a microscope, bone looks like the inside of a honeycomb. Collagen fibers are interlaced with hard calcium-phosphate complexes and living bone cells. The measure of bone’s thickness and density is called bone mass. With osteoporosis, the bone mass declines, and the matrix is dotted with gaps and holes, like a poorly knitted sweater.

Osteoporosis takes years to develop, affecting mainly people ages 50 and above. The stage is set as early as childhood: For the first few decades of life, bone grows much faster than it is broken down. By age 18, up to 90 percent of bone mass has formed, and it reaches its peak by age 30. After that point, you start to lose bone mass more quickly than you can replace it. Because women’s bodies have lower levels of the bone-protecting hormone estrogen as they enter menopause, they’re at greater risk for osteoporosis.

Certain lifestyle moves, such as bulking up on bone-building vitamin D and calcium, can help safeguard your skeleton as you age. Weight-bearing exercise, such as running and strength training, can also stimulate bone formation; your skeleton adapts to gravity and the shock of impact by building more bone cells. Doctors screen for osteoporosis by using an x-ray or ultrasound to gauge bone density in the spine, hip, and wrist—the three areas most likely to be affected by osteoporosis. To prevent harmful fractures, doctors prescribe bone-protecting drugs, such as selective estrogen receptor therapy and bisphosphonates.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

  1. About 5 to 7 years after reaching menopause, most women have lost about 20 percent of their bone mass.
  2. People who smoke or have smoked, have thin frames, or have suffered an eating disorder are more likely to develop osteoporosis.
  3. People of Caucasian and Asian descent or with family histories of the disease are also at greater risk for osteoporosis.