About 43,000 Rhode Islanders are believed to have osteoporosis, and another 78,000 are believed to be at high risk of osteoporosis in the future because their bones are weakening. Osteoporosis has multiple causes. Osteoporosis may be caused by the loss of hormones in menopause, by aging, by some medical conditions, and by using some medicines. A diet low in calcium and vitamin D, smoking, too much alcohol, and too little exercise may also lead to osteoporosis. The most important cause of osteoporosis is loss of hormones.
Bones are store and release calcium all the time.
In childhood and early adulthood, bones store calcium faster than they release it, which leads to growth. Around age 30, bones reach their peak mass, and the rate of calcium storage slows to the rate of calcium release. Peak bone mass is usually kept well into the 40s. Afterwards, as people lose reproductive hormones, bones release calcium faster than they store it. This weakens them, and increases the risk of fracture.