Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis occurs when bones lose minerals, especially calcium, more quickly than the body can replace them, resulting in:

• bones becoming fragile and brittle
• breaking more easily than normal bone
• fractures from minor bumps or falls

There is no single cause of osteoporosis; the health of your bones depends on:

• level of physical activity
• dietary calcium intake and good general nutrition
• safe exposure to sunlight
• genetics
• the level of hormones in your body (oestrogen for women and testosterone for men)

Risk factors include:

• family history – having a parent who had osteoporosis, experienced fractures, lost height or had a “Dowager’s hump” indicates low bone density in your family
• low calcium intake
• low Vitamin D levels – lack of sun exposure can mean insufficient production of Vitamin D, which your body needs to absorb calcium
• your medical history – certain conditions (low hormone levels; coeliac disease or inflammatory bowel disease; thyroid conditions; some other chronic diseases eg rheumatoid arthritis or kidney disease) and medicines ( corticosteroids used for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions; some medicines used for epilepsy, breast cancer, prostate cancer; and some antipsychotics) can impact on your bone health
• lifestyle factors – low levels of physical activity, smoking, excessive alcohol intake, thin body build or excessive weight

Information sheets and booklets available from our office or on the Healthy Bones website – https://healthybonesaustralia.org.au, click on Resource Hub:

Information sheets:

Breaking a bone

Osteopenia and bone health

Calcium and bone health

Vitamin D and bone health

Exercise and bone health

Anorexia and bone health

Breast cancer and bone health

Coeliac disease and bone health

Diabetes and bone health

Epilepsy and bone health

Glucocorticoids and bone health

Menopause and bone health

Pregnancy and bone health

Prostate cancer and bone health

Rheumatoid arthritis and bone health

Thyroid conditions and bone health

Blokes, bones and bone health

Booklets:

Bone health explained

Exercise and bone density

Men’s bone health explained