Bone Physiology

Bone Physiology & Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is the thinning of the bones that can result in fractures and pain. The definition of a bone according to Human Biology text book by Starr, says bone is connective tissue that functions in movement and locomotion, protection of the other organs, mineral storage, and (in some bones red blood cell production). The risks associated with osteoporosis are aging, being of the female gender, low body weight, low sex hormones or menopause, (in rare cases being male), and some medications. Medications include some anti-seizure medicines, cancer therapeutic drugs, and steroids etc. Taking steroids as pills in a dose of 5mg or more during a course of 3 or more straight months, will most likely lead to developing bone loss and osteoporosis. Low bone density is lower than someone that is within a normal range, but not low to be diagnosed as osteoporosis.

One may ask what the most common cause of osteoporosis is, well its estrogen deficiency in women. Bone loss increases after menopause. Over a certain period of time, osteoporosis and risks for fractures increase as mature women lose more bone than they replace. Bones continually grow throughout a woman’s lifetime. To be able to make new bone your body needs a lot of calcium and vitamin D. In younger women who stop getting their menstrual cycle, such as thin athlete’s and girls with eating disorders like anorexia, also have abnormal bone density. Also having a woman’s ovaries removed, called a bilateral oophorectomy could also be a possible cause for bone problems. It was said in one study, from this surgery there was an increase in fractures, in post-menopausal women.

Osteoporosis is not just a problem for women but as well as for men. Men need both testosterone and estrogen for their bone health. This is so men can convert testosterone into bone preserving estrogen. The main cause for male osteoporosis is testosterone deficiency.

The effect of osteoporosis is back...