Building better bones

摘要

Low bone mass and osteoporosis are two of the ill effects of poor bone health. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF, 2002), these two conditions are a major public health threat for 55 percent of the people aged 50 and older in theUnited States--almost 44 million women and men. Low bone mass is the most accurate predictor of fracture risk. The association between low bone mass and fracture is stronger than that between systolic blood pressure and stroke and that between serum cholesterol and coronary events (Kanis, 1994). On average, bone mass peaks at about age 30-35 and declines steadily thereafter. Adults age 30-45 years lose 1-2 percent of their bone mass each year. In addition, women are at four times greater risk than men of developing low bone mass.