Why is osteoporosis generally associated with older adults? What disrupts the no

Question

Why is osteoporosis generally associated with older adults? What disrupts the normal equilibrium between bone deposition and bone resorption?

Thank you for posting on the South Beach Diet. As mentioned earlier, with all diets, there is some rationale that is given for why their specific diet works. Mayo Clinic (2014) talks about how the diet promotes eating whole grains and the right kind of carbohydrates. But it does not really address how the diet works. Or what the rationale is behind the diet enabling a person to lose weight. Does understanding the rationale make a difference for the consumer? Why or why not?

Explanation / Answer

Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become brittle due to loss of mineral. It is a common disease of the bones & is often silent until a fracture occurs (due to decreased bone density), making screening important. To diagnose osteoporosis an elaborate apparatus measures bone mineral density (BMD). BMD is usually reported in standardized form. Osteoporosis occurs most often in older, lean-built Euro-American and Asian women.

Risk factors of osteoporosis:

1. Inadequate levels of vitamin D reduce the calcium absorption, and increase the risk of osteoporosis.

2. Depletion of estrogens in post menopausal women decreases the bone density and thus, put them at the risk of developing bone disorders such as osteoporosis.

3. Calcium and phosphorus minerals are commonly found deficient in osteoporosis patients.

4. Foods rich in phytate, oxalates, and tannins decrease the bioavailability of calcium and thus, increase the risk of osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis impact on older adults:

There are many reasons older adults are susceptible to falls. In older adults, the process of bone destruction dominates the process of bone formation, which decreases bone mass.

In older adults due to poor bones increases with age, and this is further enhanced by osteoporosis and also side effects of some medications, vision impairments and less ability to prevent tripping over as balance, muscle mass and strength decline with age. Genetics also plays a role in an individual’s risk of fracture. The most common sites of fracture in older adults are the hip, vertebrae or spine, wrist or the humerus (upper arm or shoulder).

A good supplementation of calcium helps in the formation of long and denser bones, while deficiency increases the risk of osteoporosis in later life.

Bone normal equilibrium: The balance between bone resorption and bone deposition is determined by the activities of two principle cell types, osteoclasts and osteoblasts, which are from two different origins.

Osteoclasts are endowed with highly active ion channels in the cell membrane that pump protons into the extracellular space, thus lowering the pH in their own microenvironment. This drop in pH dissolves the bone mineral. Osteoblasts, through an as yet poorly characterized mechanism, lay down new bone mineral. The balance between the activities of these two cell types governs whether bone is made, maintained, or lost.

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