What Is Osteoporosis

Bones are living tissues that are broken and replaced constantly. What Is Osteoporosis is a common question and it occurs when the generation of new bones is slower than the removal of old bones.

Osteoporosis affects men and women of all races. However, white and Asian women (particularly older and menopausal women) are more at risk. Certain medications, a healthy diet, and exercises that include lifting weights can help prevent bone loss and strengthen weak bones.

Osteoporosis is due to a decrease in bone mass, but usually does not present symptoms, and is almost always discovered when a fracture occurs. Know the causes, the risk factors, and how you can prevent their appearance.

Throughout life, as bone is destroyed, new bone is formed, maintaining a balance. This process is called bone remodelling. From the third decade, the remodelling process changes, and the formation of new bone becomes slower, so that a decrease in bone mass occurs naturally. When this loss of bone mass becomes more severe, osteoporosis occurs.

What Causes Osteoporosis, or rather, several factors that favour its appearance?

• Aging: advanced age, by itself, produces a decrease in the amount of bone, so that anyone can suffer it. The risk is higher after 50 years.
• Weight: a BMI of less than 19 increases the risk of osteoporosis, since it has a direct relationship with bone density.
• Genetic factors: there are genes related to the development of bone mass, so that the incidence of the disease is higher in those whose direct relatives have a previous history of fractures (parents or grandparents).
• Diet low in calcium: calcium is a fundamental food in bone formation. It is found mostly in milk and dairy products such as cheeses, yoghurts, etc., and also in other foods such as blue fish and nuts.
• Female sex: women are four times more likely than men to develop osteoporosis, especially after menopause. This is due to the reduction in the number of estrogens (female hormones involved in the formation of bone mass) in this stage, which favors a decrease in bone remodelling. It is more likely to suffer osteoporosis if the menopause occurs before 40 years (early menopause), due for example to the surgical removal of both ovaries and when menstruation is absent (called amenorrhea)) in athletes, or in cases of anorexia nervosa due to significant weight loss. In addition, women have a longer life expectancy than men and, in general, their amount of bone mass is lower (especially in excessively thin women).
• Race: more frequent in Caucasians and Asians.
• Some pathologies: there are diseases that can trigger osteoporosis, such as hyperthyroidism or Cushing's syndrome .
• Prolonged immobilization: either due to illness or a sedentary lifestyle. Exercise is one of the stimuli for bone formation.
• Some medications: for example the prolonged use of steroids, corticosteroids, antiepileptic drugs or thyroid drugs.
• Excess tobacco, alcohol or coffee.