Osteoporosis: An Overview
Article Navigation:
- Introduction to Osteoporosis
- Definition of Osteoporosis & Symptoms of Osteoporosis
- Causes of Osteoporosis
- Risks for Osteoporosis
- Diagnosing Osteoporosis
- Treating Osteoporosis
- Preventing Osteoporosis
- Osteoporosis and Calcium
- Osteoporosis and Vitamin D
- Exercise and Osteoporosis
- Diet and Osteoporosis
- Natural Treatments
- Osteoporosis in Women
- Caffeine and Osteoporosis
- Osteoporosis References
Risks for Osteoporosis
What Increases My Risk for Osteoporosis?
Several things can increase your risk for osteoporosis. Some of them you can control and you will want to make sure you avoid them so that you have strong bones for a lifetime. Here are some of the risk factors that you can control.[1][5][6][7] If you think you could be at risk for osteoporosis, discuss how to address these factors with your doctor.
- Poor general nutrition
- Lifelong low calcium intake
- Vitamin D deficiency
- High protein diet
- Lack of exercise
- Alcoholism or drinking excess alcohol
- Smoking
- Anorexia
- Drinking excess soda
There are some risk factors for osteoporosis that you can't control, but you should be aware of them. If you have any of these risk factors, talk with your doctor about them to see what you might be able to do to reduce your overall risk.[2][5][6][8]
- Personal history of broken bones
- Family history of osteoporosis
- Osteopenia or bones that have reduced mass that isn't as bad as osteoporosis
- Caucasian (being white) or Asian race
- Advanced age
- Gender or being female
- Low body weight
- Small frame or small bone size
- Early menopause (younger than age 45)
- Removal of ovaries before natural menopause
- Amenorrhea (not having menstrual periods) for more than a year
- Diseases affecting absorption of calcium and vitamin D such as celiac disease and Crohn's disease
- Use of certain medications
- Excessive exercising, which can cause amenorrhea and increase risk for osteoporosis
If you are taking certain medicines for chronic conditions, they can cause bone loss. Discuss this possibility with your doctor if you are taking any of them. Here's a list of medicines that can cause a problem:[4][5]
- Anticonvulsants
- Aluminum from excessive use of antacids
- Drugs that suppress the immune system, including steroids used to treat asthma, certain types of arthritis and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Drugs that affect the adrenal and pituitary glands
- Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists*
- Blood thinners
- Lithium
- Anti-cancer drugs
* Agonists are medicines that prevent a particular hormone or chemical from functioning in the body. In this case, they prevent GnRH from functioning. This can cause a reduction in estrogen levels.[9]
This Elder Health Guide was published on October 18, 2009 and was updated on January 20, 2010.
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