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What is Osteoporosis | What causes Osteoporosis
Updated: Jan 22
What is Osteoporosis?
To answer our question, what is Osteoporosis, let’s start with the basics and draw some conclusions.
“Osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs when the body loses too much bone, makes too little bone, or both. As a result, bones become weak and may break from a fall or, in serious cases, from sneezing or minor bumps.” source
The Basic Concept of Osteoporosis
So at the base of the question, what is osteoporosis, it comes down to one basic concept; your body needs more minerals than it has available.
If your body cannot get what it needs from food and water, then it uses your bones as a mineral bank. When the demand is greater then what the bones have, you lose bone mass. You also lose the ability to feed your organs the minerals they need to function correctly.
There two conditions which can cause bone loss are therefore fundamental:
You need more bone minerals than you can replenish
Your body makes too little bone [to replace the mineral bank]
“Osteoporosis happens when bone density decreases and the body stops producing as much bone as it did before.” Medical NewsToday
According to many people, the base cause of Osteoporosis is our body slows down and stops producing the quantity of bone it did in the past. That is the root cause of Osteoporosis.
The Osteoporosis Solution – The Basic Solution?
The answer is obvious:
Lessing the demand for bone minerals
Increase the production of bone minerals
A combination of the two
The answer to the question, what is Osteoporosis, is basic and simple. But we seem to lose that simplicity in the solution as we will see.
What Causes Osteoporosis?
Below is a rather long list of possible causes contributing to bone loss. But it is essential, for those seeking answers to some of the causes.
Let us start out with the stuff we can have some control over.
Lack of weight-bearing exercise such as walking
Eating acid environment foods
The body will take the calcium from the bone to help neutralize the acidic input
Acidic Drinking Water
Soft Drinks
Fried foods
Many more
Red Meat (too much red meat)
Medical Procedures, Diseases, Illness, and Conditions That May Cause Bone Loss
Medical Procedures
Gastrectomy
Gastrointestinal bypass procedures
Weight loss surgery
Diseases, Conditions
This list is not all the potential sources.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
Lupus
Multiple sclerosis
Ankylosing spondylitis
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Breast cancer
Prostate cancer
Leukemia and lymphoma
Multiple myelomas
Sickle cell disease
Stroke
Parkinson’s disease
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Spinal cord injuries
Thalassemia
Mental Illness
Depression
Eating disorders
Diabetes
Hyperparathyroidism
Hyperthyroidism
Irregular periods
Cushing’s syndrome
Thyrotoxicosis
Premature menopause
Low levels of testosterone
Low levels of estrogen
AIDS/HIV
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema
Female athlete triad (includes loss of menstrual periods, an eating disorder and excessive exercise)
Chronic kidney disease
Liver disease, including biliary cirrhosis
Organ transplants
Polio and post-polio syndrome
Poor diet, including malnutrition
Scoliosis
Weight loss
Medicines Which May Cause Bone Loss
The question of what is osteoporosis also leads us to medicines and prescriptions. Did you expect less?
The relationships here are dynamic and dependent on combinations of medicines. Remember, the average number of prescriptions per person 18 and older in the US is 12 and almost 13.
Before you decide to make any changes to your medications, contact your healthcare provider. Talk to your healthcare provider about the risks of medicines you take and their effect on your bones. Make sure to check before you make any changes to your medications to make sure it is safe to do so.
Aluminum-Containing Antacids
If you know you are taking antacids containing aluminum, you should look here for more information and brands.
How Common is Osteoporosis?
According to the NOF:
10 million, or more people in the US have osteoporosis
44 million people in the US have low bone density putting then at risk for Osteoporosis
54 million Americans, 50% of adults over 50 are at risk of breaking a bone and should be concerned about bone health
What is the Cost of Osteoporosis?
The Financial Cost of Osteoporosis According to the US National Library of Medicine:
In 2002 – $16 Billion [in 2002 dollars]
In 2008 – $25 Billion [in 2018 dollars] [https://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/inflation.php?amount=1&year=2002]
In 2014 – $34 Billion [based on the 2002-2008 increase]
in 2020 – $43 Billion [based on the 2002-2008 increase]
What Conclusions Can We Make?
In the US National Library of Medicine in a 2017 report, the sample size for the study was,
“7954 adults aged 50 years and older from four NHANES survey cycles between 2005-2006 and 2013-2014”.
Some may call that number insignificant, especially when considering 54,000,000 people affected by low bone density. So it is possible that Osteoporosis has more effect on the US population than websites state as fact.
On the other hand, we have slightly better data on the cost of Osteoporosis. The price is rising. We can not tell if it is caused by the number of cases or the cost per case increase. In either case, it is terrible news for the people who suffer from the condition.