This technique is widely used in osteoporosis re search. Bone density is measured by calculation of the amount of gamma radiation absorbed by bone. The greater dose absorbed, the greater the bone density. Women have an eight-fold greater chance of developing osteoporosis than men. Women are usually smaller in stature than men and have less bone reserve of calcium.
Women also lose the production ability of estrogen when they go through menopause.
Men lose calcium from bone, but not at the high rates seen in women. Whites or Asians . Whites and Asians are more likely to develop osteoporosis. Blacks have the lowest incidence of osteoporosis in the American population. The reason is unknown.