The PMP Free Stuff Blog

Basically osteoporosis, or osteopenia, is a failure of the body to form new bone. What contributes to this? Lot of things. Here’s a summary:

• AGE – Osteoporosis is more common in people over age 50, although it can affect you at any age. It is a myth that everyone loses bone mass as they get older.
• SEX – Osteoporosis is more common in women than men. 80% of the people with osteoporosis are women. The reason? They have lighter bones to begin with and menopause causes an acceleration of bone loss. This doesn’t mean that men go unscathed. If you’re a man over 50, you are more likely to break a bone due to osteoporosis than you are to get prostate cancer.
• FAMILY HISTORY – Your genetics and heredity influence your osteoporosis risk. If either of your parents had osteo or a history of fractures, you are more likely to get it too. Also, if one of your parents had a significant loss of height or a spine that curved forward (known as a kyphosis) they might have had osteoporosis
• SMALL, THIN FRAME & LOW BODY WEIGHT – Small boned men and women are more at risk for osteoporosis than larger people. This doesn’t mean, however, that if you’re large you are protected from the disease. Do you know how to determine if you have a thin frame or not?  If you would like to check your body frame size, click here.  The International Osteoporosis Foundation reports that individuals, regardless of age or sex who have a BMI (Body Mass Index) of less than 20kg/m2 have double the risk of osteoporosis than individuals with a BMI of 25kg/m2 (IOF).  To calculate your BMI, click here.
• RACE/ETHNICITY – people in the US who are of Caucasian, Asian or Latino descent are more likely to develop osteoporosis than those of African descent.
• MENOPAUSE – dropping estrogen levels after menopause accelerate bone loss. Early menopause increases your risk of osteoporosis. Also, if both ovaries were removed before age 50, your risk increases. Extended lactation can also influence your estrogen level and therefore your risk
• MISSING PERIODS – young women who don’t have regular periods can be more at risk. This is because irregularities like missing periods could be an indication of low estrogen. Things like too much exercise, poor diet or hormonal imbalances can contribute.
• GENETIC DISORDERS AND DISEASES – there are a number of disorders that increase your risk: examples are hyperthyroidism, celiac disease, IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), rheumatoid arthritis. If you suffer from a chronic disorder, speak to your health care provider to find out whether it influences your risk for osteoporosis.
• EXCESSIVE AEROBIC EXERCISE – too much endurance, or aerobic, exercise can weaken bone. Young women who exercise to the point of amenorrhea (2 or fewer menstrual cycles per year) are contributing to early onset osteoporosis. Endurance athletes show a decrease, not an increase in bone mass. 5 hours per week of aerobic activity is considered excessive.
• LACK OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY – lack of activity increases your risk of osteoporosis.
• HEAVY ALCOHOL USE – alcohol reduces bone formation. Also, people who drink heavily usually do not get adequate nutrition. What’s too much alcohol? Anything over 2 drinks per day increases your risk by 40% (IOF).
• SMOKING – we all know that smoking is just bad for your health, and it can also be bad for your bones. Smoking makes it harder to absorb calcium, and in women prevents estrogen from protecting your bones.
• INADEQUATE NUTRIENTS – there are many nutritional factors that contribute to healthy bones – calcium is just one of them. We will discuss nutritional guidelines later. You should be aware that there are a number of foods and beverages that decrease bone density: soft drinks (diet or sugar-free), caffeine and sodium are all known to lower bone density.
• MEDICATIONS – anticoagulants, corticosteroids, chemotherapy, anticonvulsants and thyroid medication can all increase your risk.

Wow. That’s quite a list, isn’t it? Seems a bit overwhelming when you look at it. The good news is that many of these factors can be controlled, influenced and reversed. Let’s look at how you can take charge of your bone health today and live a healthy life with strong, growing bones.

If you would like to view a more comprehensive risk factors list, we recommend that you refer to the Surgeon General’s 2004 Osteoporosis Report (USDHHS).

To take International Osteoporosis Foundation’s ”One Minute Osteoporosis Risk Test”, click here.

Filed under: Osteoporosis by Lindy Royer
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