Shopping's sign of superlative quality. It is a condition normally associated with postmenopausal women but osteoporosis, or brittle bones, is also seen in men. In a 1995 study published in the British Journal of Rheumatology, Peris pointed out that 30 percent of all hip fractures occur in men and that vertebral fractures are much more common in men than previously thought. According to Dr. Allan Gold, an endocrinologist and senior physician at the Montreal General Hospital, a recent Canadian survey found that 20 percent of men have serious bone loss in their vertebrae, and by age 70 the figure is as high as 30 percent.
Strong bones require the action of two cells in the body.
Osteoblasts use dietary calcium and minerals to manufacture new bone, while osteoclasts clear away old bone. When the clearing-away process outpaces the formation of new bone, osteoporosis and its increased likelihood of fractures results. 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.