Do men have to worry about osteoporosis?
Bone is a dynamic tissue. It breaks down and re-builds itself constantly. That is why broken bones heal. As we age, the re-building process falls behind the breaking down process, resulting in weak, porous bones that are more prone to breaking. Osteoporosis is a condition, not a disease, in which the calcium content of the bone is depleted sufficiently enough over time that the bones become brittle, porous and likely to fracture with even minimal traum There are no symptoms of osteoporosis until a fracture occurs, indicating the condition is in the advanced stages with little likelihood of successful treatment. More than 20 million people Americans are affected by osteoporosis–a disease most of us believe is “for women only.” In fact, twenty percent of the people who fall victim to this often debilitating disease process are men. Their bone loss typically begins in their mid to late 40’s and increases to a 10% loss by the age of 75. If it continues this bone loss is classified as oste
