Bones are alive! As you read this, your bones are going through a process called bone remodeling, where old bone is removed and replaced with new bone. Bone-building cells called Osteoblasts build new bone, and bone-destroying cells - the Osteoclasts - break down bone. Up until about age 20, your bones grow to their maximum length, and your bone mass (or density) reaches its peak at about age 30-35. It is after this that your bone mass begins to decline, and that is why you need to take crucial steps to prevent bone disease, or Osteoporosis.

Hormones play a key role in bone growth and development. The reason women are at greater risk then men for getting Osteoporosis is that their chief hormone estrogen - which protects the skeleton - goes into rapid decline in the years following menopause.Women also tend to have thinner, smaller skeletons than man, which is another reason they get bone disease. Men also develop Osteoporosis, but generally later than women. Men's chief hormone - testosterone - usually drops rapidly at age 65. But men are still subject to many of the same risk factors as women in terms of potentially getting Osteoporosis.

Your genetics, lifestyle, nutrition, exercise, and medications all have a role to play in the state of your bones. And no matter what has happened in the past, you can prevent, treat, and even reverse Osteoporosis. So read on!

Are you at risk?

Take the following 'Osteoporosis risk-factor' test. If you answer yes to several questions, you could be at risk for bone disease. But don't panic: you can create a bone-building program and beat it!

1. Do you have a family history of Osteoporosis?
2. Are you female?
3. Are you Caucasian or Asian?
4. Are you post-menopausal?
5. Are you thin and small-boned?
6. Have you taken glucocortocoid medications - cortisone, prednisone, etc. - to treat arthritis, asthma, or lupus?
7. Have you taken anti-convulsants, thyroid medications?
8. Have you had cancer treatment or taken cancer medication?
9. Have you fractured a bone?
10. Have you had a sedentary lifestyle?
11. Do you have a history of excessive alcohol intake?
12. Do you or have you ever smoked?
13. Do you have low testosterone levels?
14. Did you have an early menopause?
15. Have you had your ovaries removed?
16. Have you ever had anorexia nervosa or bulimia?
17. Do you eat a great deal of animal protein?
18. Do you have a (lifelong) low calcium intake?

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