A bone health expert debunks myths about osteoporosis and shares the facts.
Osteoporosis is a condition that causes weak, porous bones. It’s a major health issue affecting tens of millions of people each year, especially those over 50.
With the help of leading bone health expert Dr. Deborah Sellmeyer, Healthline dispels some of the most common myths about osteoporosis.
While osteoporosis and resulting fractures are more likely to occur as you get older, they’re not inevitable.
Fact: “There are a lot of things you can do to prevent fractures,” said Sellmeyer, who heads the Johns Hopkins Metabolic Bone Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
The top three health choices you can make to prevent breaks are:
- getting enough calcium
- getting enough vitamin D
- exercising regularly
It’s certainly true that more women than men develop osteoporosis, but men can also be affected.
Fact: 20% of white men in America over 50 will have a bone fracture related to osteoporosis in their lifetime.
While Black men and women are at a lower risk of osteoporosis, those who do have osteoporosis have a similar rate of fracture. And, according to Sellmeyer, younger men are more likely to fracture bones than women.
Bone density might not be something younger people think about, but habits early in life can have an effect later.
Fact: People generally reach their maximum bone strength and density in their mid to late 20s, according to the
Living with a chronic condition that requires certain medication can also increase your risk of osteoporosis over time. For example, glucocorticoids, used to treat conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and asthma, may increase your risk of osteoporosis with long-term use.
“[This is] not a time when everyone’s thinking about their postmenopausal fracture risk,” Sellmeyer pointed out. “But it’s never too early to build bone density and develop the best possible bones for the rest of your life.”
Thinking about bone health when you’re young and developing good nutritional habits early can help prevent issues later in life.
Osteoporosis is a serious and sometimes fatal condition.
Fact: Osteoporosis leads to hip fractures and, according to Sellmeyer, around 25% of people die within the first 6 to 12 months after a hip fracture.
Hip replacement surgery can lead to problems like:
- arrhythmia
- anesthesia complications
- pneumonia
- heart attack
- infections in older adults
For most people, bones fracture during a fall, but that’s not always the case.
Fact: Sometimes, weak bones break during everyday activities.
“There are people who have spontaneous fractures,” Sellmeyer said. “One person just leaned over the bed of a flatbed truck, and that pressure was enough to cause a fracture.”
If you have osteoporosis, you can get a stress fracture in your foot simply from walking.
“Even with hip fractures,” said Sellmeyer, “some people will say, ‘I heard it, and I felt it, but I didn’t fall.’”
You can’t really see or feel oncoming osteoporosis.
Fact: People may not notice osteoporosis signs until they’ve broken a bone.
You don’t feel your bones get weaker as you lose bone density, nor do you really start to experience any specific adverse lifestyle consequences.
“It’s a silent disease,” explained Sellmeyer. “There’s no way to tell if you have it other than to get a bone density test.”
A diagnosis of osteoporosis might mean you’ve actually had low bone density your whole life. In that case, said Sellmeyer, “trying to get your bone density higher than it’s ever been your whole life is not possible.”
Fact: However, it’s possible to rebuild bone. Osteoporosis medications can increase bone density by a few percentage points per year over 3 to 4 years.
According to Sellmeyer, someone with osteoporosis is never going to get back into the “normal” range of bone density.
Osteoporosis can have an impact on your life, ranging from lifestyle disruption to more severe complications, like hospital visits and even death.
Proper preventive care and treatment can help reduce osteoporosis complications.