The main cause of osteoporosis is aging. The sex hormones, estrogen and testosterone, hold the balance between bone renewal and deterioration. Men in their 60s rarely receive any such medical alert even though their testosterone levels decline, and some men suffer from male menopause, or andropause. For those men and others, osteoporosis is a real risk. In addition to the decline in sex hormones, certain other medical conditions and lifestyles predispose both men and women to the dangers of osteoporosis at an earlier age than normal.
Osteoporosis is classified as primary or secondary.
Primary osteoporosis develops without any known risk factors, whereas secondary osteoporosis is the result of another medical condition. Corticosteroid prescription medications like prednisone were a close second cause, followed by alcoholism. Gold said that it isn't understood how smoking contributes to the onset of the disease, but that people who smoke tend to lose more calcium than nonsmokers. Peris mentions our lack of exercise as another problem that predisposes us to osteoporosis. Like women, men should ensure that they are getting enough calcium and vitamin D in their diets.