Osteoporosis

Causes of Osteoporosis

If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, then chances are that you are wondering what caused this condition. There are many causes of osteoporosis that are recognized by the medical community. While some of these osteoporosis causes are inherited, there are other osteoporosis causes that can be prevented. The type of osteoporosis that you are diagnosed with will determine the treatment. You doctor will also want to help you understand the cause of this condition as well.

The main causes of osteoporosis include the following:

Poor Diet
Osteopenia
Osteonecrosis
Loss of Bone Mineral Density

There are preventative measures that you can use to prevent the symptoms and causes of osteoporosis. Even if you have been diagnosed with this condition, changes in lifestyle habits can do wonders when it comes to the treatment of this condition. If you are looking for the causes of osteoporosis and why you have this condition, take a look at the most common osteoporosis causes:

Poor Diet

Those who eat a diet that is rich in phosphates are more predisposed to getting osteoporosis than those who stick with a healthier diet of calcium enriched foods. A poor diet can be one of the causes of osteoporosis, so it is important to start watching your diet as soon as possible so that you can possibly avoid getting this condition. Foods that contribute to a poor diet include the following:

Red meat
Soft drinks
Alcohol
Caffeine

All of these foods can be contributory factors when it comes to osteoporosis causes. If you are concerned about this condition, wish to prevent or treat it, then you should do what you can to go on an osteoporosis diet. This type of diet will include an increase in calcium enriched foods such as leafy greens, skim milk, tofu, low fat yogurt and salmon, to name a few. You may also want to take calcium supplements as well as Vitamin D to absorb the calcium if you are looking for a way to eliminate a poor diet as one of the causes of osteoporosis.

Osteopenia

While osteopenia is not considered one of the causes of osteoporosis, it is considered to be a precursor of the disease. Osteoporosis causes can start before menopause and are related to lower bone mineral density. Those who have lower bone mineral density than normal (BMD) may are not necessarily thought to have osteoporosis, but can have the precursor which is osteopenia. As osteopenia usually becomes osteoporosis as the BMD begins to drop, it can be considered to be one of the osteoporosis causes. When you are looking for osteoporosis causes, you need to look at both those that can actually cause the disease as well as those that can be preconditions of the disease. In many cases, osteoporosis can be prevented.

Osteonecrosis

Another of the causes of osteoporosis that is also a condition in itself is osteonecrosis. This is a chronic bone disease that can affect people of all ages. While osteoporosis is considered to be a condition that typically affects older women, this condition can also affect people of all ages. Those who suffer from osteonecrosis will usually get osteoporosis as well, making it one of the osteoporosis causes. This disease is very much like scoliosis in that it can not only make the bones brittle, but also cause deformations in the spine. There are treatments for this condition as well that should be considered so that it does not become one of the causes of osteoporosis.

Brittle Bones

Having brittle bones is the result of osteoporosis. Most in the medical field agree that the causes of osteoporosis are due to diet as well as heredity. Those who are predisposed to having brittle bones, however, can find themselves in the throes of this condition. Women over the age of 40 are often advised to get bone density tests so that they can see if they have brittle bones which can be one of the osteoporosis causes. The condition of brittle bones can be alleviated by taking a calcium supplement as well as a supplement of vitamin D.

Other Causes

Other osteoporosis causes include hormonal changes that occur in postmenopausal women. These hormonal changes have been thought to be one of the causes of osteoporosis for years. However, it is important to note that not all women who go through menopause are diagnosed with this condition.

As people get older, they tend to lose bone density, which is also considered to be one of the causes of osteoporosis. Hormonal changes for years were considered to be the primary osteoporosis causes, although recent studies have proven that there are other causes that can also be contributory. Taking hormone replacement drugs to avoid osteoporosis is not advised by doctors.

Heredity is also considered to be one of the osteoporosis causes. Those who have a first degree relative with the condition are more predisposed to having the condition themselves as opposed to others who do not have anyone in the family who have osteoporosis. However, heredity cannot be medically proven to be one of the causes of osteoporosis as while it runs in some families, not everyone who has a relative with this condition has it themselves.

For now, the known causes of osteoporosis tend to be a diet that is lacking in calcium as well as other preexisting conditions. It is best to understand all about the osteoporosis causes so that you can avoid those that you can have control over. While you may not be able to control brittle bones or other osteoporosis causes, you can do something about your diet. By eating the right foods that are rich in calcium and vitamin D as well as avoiding foods that are high in phosphates, you may be able to eliminate one of the causes of osteoporosis that can affect you. You can also go for regular checkups and make sure that you have your doctor check your bone mass density on a regular basis so that you can prevent the condition before it emerges in your system.