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

For further information

or go the Healthy Bones (previously Osteoporosis Australia) website – https://healthybonesaustralia.org.au– and click on “Your Bone Health”, “Osteoporosis and You” and “Resource Hub”.