The good news for you is that risk does not have to mean reality. Evidence from many clinical studies strongly suggests osteoporosis is a preventable disease. As you can see from the quiz, there are several things you can do right now to help prevent contracting osteoporosis in the future. But you need to start now. To really understand the condition called osteoporosis, you need to understand the physiology of bone.
Bone is made up of calcium and phosphorous crystals, imbedded in a matrix of protein fibers.
The calcium gives the bone its strength and rigidity, while the protein collagen, mostly makes the bone somewhat flexible. Other materials present in bone include fluoride, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and citrate. Bone formation is needed for growth, for repair of microscopic fractures that result from everyday stress, and for the replacement of worn-out bone. Bone absorbing cells called osteoclasts dig cavities in the inner surface of the bone microscopic cavities. Next, bone building cells called osteoblasts begin filling in these cavities with new bone cells.