What is Osteoporosis?
[[File:615 Age and Bone Mass.jpg|thumb|People have their highest bone density in their 30s]] '''Osteoporosis''' is the weakening of [[bone]]s in the body. It is caused by lack of [[calcium]] in the bones. This causes the bones to become brittle. They break easily. Side effects include limping. Some symptoms late in the disease include pain in the bones, bones breaking very easily and lower back pain due to [[Spine|spinal bone]] fractures.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://health.google.com/health/ref/Osteoporosis |title=Google Health - Osteoporosis |access-date=2009-11-16 |publisher=Google/A.D.A.M. }}</ref> It is more likely for a woman to get osteoporosis than a man.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/osteoporosis/basics/risk-factors/con-20019924 | title= Osteoporosis Risk factors | publisher = [[Mayo Clinic]] }}</ref> [[Elderly]] people are more likely to develop osteoporosis than younger people. The amount of calcium in the bones decreases as a person gets older. There are three kinds of osteoporosis. There is no cure for osteoporosis. A person can keep it from happening by exercising and taking the right amount of calcium each day. 75 million people in the United States, Japan, and Europe have osteoporosis. 30 million people in the US have poor bone density. [[Vitamin D]], calcium, and [[exercise]] are the three main things for healthy bones. Consuming too much [[alcohol]] and [[caffeine]] can cause an increase in the risk of weak bones. Too much salt increases the amount of calcium lost in [[urine]]. This is bad because calcium makes bones strong. People should not take iron and calcium supplements at the same time. This is because calcium competes with the absorption of minerals such as iron.<ref>Gale Encyclopedia of Diets, 2nd ed., Detroit: Gale, 2013, pp. 882-889.</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} {{biology-stub}} [[Category:Diseases and disorders of bones]]