The risk of being diagnosed with Osteoporosis is decided by ones amount of bone mass as a young adult and how fast it is lost as one ages. Bone mass is the amount of bone in a body. Throughout life small amounts of old bone is removed and replaced. During the later years of life these bones lose mass and become less dense. This happens because the body is no longer able to replace the lost bone as rapidly. Women are at greater risk of having Osteoporosis than men because they start with 30 percent bone mass and lose it faster after menopause. Bone mass depends on levels of the hormone estrogen in women. Bone mass keeps increasing during the younger years, it then levels off between the ages 30 to 35, and remains stable until menopause. .
After menopause, the bone mass in women decreases about two to three percent each year for five to ten years. Because of the drop in estrogen levels women are more likely to break bones in the wrist or spine after menopause. This happens usually during the ages 45 to 60. Osteoporosis is believed to be preventable by increasing calcium in the diet, avoiding smoking, avoiding heavy alcohol use, and doing weight bearing exercises regularly. Doctors may recommend taking estrogen after menopause to slow bone loss. The modern medicine plays an important role in lessening the effect of Osteoporosis. Drugs, such as alendronate and etidronate, pause the cells which break bones down, so bones can build up. Calcium and Vitamin D supplements help strengthen the bones. Calcitonin is a hormone made by the thyroid gland. It inhibits the cells which break down the bone. Testosterone supplements for men decrease the rapidness of the bone breaking. SERMs (Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators) are used to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease, but they increase the risk of breast or endometrial cancer. This is a new type of drug which acts like a synthetic form of hormone replacement.
