Osteoporosis, is sometimes thought of as a disease that only affects elderly ladies, this is not true, it can start to affect people at a very early age, it also affects approximately 20% of men in quite a serious manner.

Unlike osteoarthritis, which can be very painful, Osteoporosis has no obvious symptoms and it is often called the "silent thief" because you do not feel anything, it just steals your bone strength without you knowing about it. What is Osteoporosis? It is often referred to as thinning bones, the word Osteoporosis actually translated means "Porous Bones" and it is referring to the deterioration in bone quality and density, leading to fragility and weakness, with a increase in the risk of bone fracture.

The most common sites for fracture to occur are the hip, wrist, pelvis, spine and arms.

Bone density deteriorates at a very gradual rate, probably from the middle twenties onwards. The condition may go undetected until a major fracture occurs.

What causes it is usually due to the bones losing more calcium than is being deposited, just like drawing more money out of the bank than you are putting in to your account. As you age the deterioration worsens, or increases, the outer shell of your bones weaken and the inner part develops larger holes, the condition is more difficult to remedy, the worse it has become, there are pharmaceutical drugs available that can slow down the deterioration, and sometimes even reverse it a little. The condition can not be cured, but it can certainly be controlled, Modern medications can be very effective for many peopleThe most important thing that you can do, is to have a bone mineral density test, whilst you are still OK and have a good reading for density levels, you should consider good nutrition, eat foods that are rich in Calcium and Vitamin D, and last but not least, increase your exercise activity, these three things will help you to maintain your bone strength and lower your chances of becoming another victim of Osteoporosis.

I hope that some of you reading this will take notice of the three things that you can start doing earlier rather than later, the sooner you think about what you consume the better it will be for you in the long term, some experts believe that poor quality nutrition and junk food are actually "calcium robbers", you can help yourself if you really want to, just make the most of good quality food.