A range of factors can cause Osteoporosis. Nutritional deficiencies, chronic conditions (like rheumatoid arthritis), and calcium deficiency are some reasons for bone loss, leading to Osteoporosis.
More so, with osteoporosis, due to low new bone production, the bones become fragile, which increases your chances of fractures.
What makes a person more likely to develop osteoporosis?
Bones are living tissues that are broken down and replaced in the body. Also, when your body cannot produce new bones as required, you tend to develop Osteoporosis.
Now, although several factors can lead to Osteoporosis, low calcium intake is one of the common reasons for loss of bone.
Besides raising your risk of fractures, lack of calcium in the body results in low bone density and loss of bone.
Aside from that, eating disorders, caffeine intake, alcohol consumption are other reasons that contribute to Osteoporosis.
In addition to that, if any of your family members have Osteoporosis, then you’re at risk of suffering from the disorder as well.
Even if your body produces more or less of some hormones, your chances of getting Osteoporosis increase.
Overproduction or underproduction of sex hormones and thyroid hormones are some other factors that lead to Osteoporosis.
How is osteoporosis related to bone resorption?
Osteoporosis is a bone condition that leads to brittle bones and fractures. As a result of Osteoporosis, your bones become less dense. Bone density is a measure of calcified bone tissue that your bones contain.
Osteoporosis means that you are susceptible to fractures even with minor falls or daily activities.
Also, your body continually reabsorbs old bone and produces new bone. Your skeletal system is replaced approximately every 10 years; however, this process slows down as you age.
Now, your bones remain healthy for as long as a healthy balance between old bone and new bone is maintained.
Even so, you suffer from bone loss when there is a disparity between old and new bone production.
As such, when the rate at which old bone is reabsorbed at a faster rate than the rate of new bone production, you experience bone loss.
Also, upon aging, your body starts to reabsorb calcium and phosphate from your bones rather than storing them in your bones. In the process, your bones start weakening and result in Osteoporosis.
Now, to maintain bone health, your body must have adequate calcium and phosphate.
When does a lack of oestrogen cause osteoporosis?
Menopausal women are at risk of osteoporosis, a bone disease that causes thinning of the bones. Low estrogen levels during the menopause years (between the ages of 45 and 55 where women stop having periods) are the reasons for bone loss in women.
As per estimates, women tend to lose about 10 percent of bone mass within their first five menopausal years.
Now, estrogen, a female hormone, is responsible for maintaining the strength of the bones. Also, the age between 25 and 30 years is the peak bone mass period for women.
During this time, the skeleton stops growing and bones are thick and strong.
With the estrogen levels dwindling during menopause (50 years being the average age), women suffer from bone loss.
In cases of your peak bone mass being below normal levels, any loss of bone through your menopausal years can lead to Osteoporosis.
How are genes related to the development of osteoporosis?
The human skeletal system is responsible for supporting and protecting soft tissue. For toughening the bones, skeletal bones continually undergo bone remodeling.
As part of the bone remodeling process, there has to balance between the bone-resorbing osteoclasts and bone-forming osteoblasts. In the process, bone strength and bone mass are maintained.
Imbalances between the bone resorption and bone formation processes lead to disparities in bone mineral density (BMD).
Now, reduced BMD is characteristic of Osteoporosis disorder. Also, genetic factors have a role to play in BMD variations. Yes, genetic factors have a role to play in regulating BMD. In other words, genes affect bone mass and your risk of fractures.
Also, studies are ongoing to understand further how genes affect bone mass, bone turnover, and other facets of bone metabolism.