Health Conditions

What causes it?

Although bone is often considered to be stable, it is actually changing continually. New bone cells are formed after old bone cells are broken down into components such as calcium, which are taken out of the body in the blood. Osteoporosis is believed to be caused by an imbalance in two types of cells ? osteoblasts, which are responsible for making bone and osteoclasts, which break it down. The process of bone break down and rebuilding is often called ?bone turnover?, and the break down of bone may be known as ?resorption?. When osteoclasts break bone down faster than osteoblasts are building bone, osteoporosis occurs. The following factors can contribute to the disease:

• Aging
• Estrogen loss
• Gender
• Heredity
• Lifestyle
• Medications
• Nutrition
• Other illnesses