We often work to build muscle. It’s time to focus on those bones! Without them, where would the muscle be …

Bone health is assumed. Our bones are there, doing their job for us and only getting recognized when bumped or broken. When bone deterioration begins to occur, it usually comes as a shock. It shouldn’t. At around 20 years old, the body’s bone mass peaks. Then, as we age, we lose bone mass. Unfortunately, when bone health becomes questionable, factors like age make rebuilding bones a controversial possibility.

Osteoporosis is a condition where bones become weak, brittle, and easily broken. Like other tissue, bone tissue is continuously absorbed and replaced. When tissue is removed more quickly than it is replenished, osteoporosis occurs.

Lack of calcium, with its vitamin D counterpart to help absorb it, is one contributor to osteoporosis. Other contributing factors include:

Gender: females, especially Caucasian or Asian decent;

Genetics: parent or sibling with osteoporosis;

Small body structure;

Sedentary lifestyle;

Long-term deficiency in calcium and vitamin D;

Hormone shifts in later years.

Half of all women develop osteoporosis by age 60. Although predominately considered a women’s health issue, 30 percent of reported osteoporosis cases are by men. Reduced sex hormones common with aging, similar to those experienced by women in menopause, is cited as a frequent cause. Fifty percent of men who suffer hip fractures die within one year.