OSTEOPOROSIS CAUSES

Our skeletons are made up of many different shaped and sized bones each with a hard outer layer called the cortex. The foundation around which muscles, ligaments and body tissue make up our shape, our skeleton also protects vital organs such as our lungs and heart.

Believe it or not our bones are alive with a rich supply of blood and are constantly undergoing a process of "remodelling" and renewal. This remodelling reaches its peak when we are in our mid-thirties (peak bone mass). After this age our bones start to slowly lose calcium and without sufficient dietary calcium our bones may eventually become brittle and porous leading to osteoporosis. As a result, our posture can be affected and sometimes a minor fall can result in a hip or wrist fracture.

Osteoporosis is the single most important cause of fracture in middle-aged and elderly people. Some experts have estimated that the number of world-wide hip fractures could very well exceed 6 million per year by the year 2050!

The good news is that we know there are certain factors that can delay the process that leads to osteoporosis. These include exercise, nutrition and general lifestyle practice.