Definition: Osteoporosis literally means porous bone. It is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. These broken bones, also known as fractures, occur typically in the hip, spine, and wrist. Any bone can be affected, but of special concern are fractures of the hip and spine. A hip fracture almost always requires hospitalization and major surgery. It can impair a person's ability to walk unassisted and may cause prolonged or permanent disability or even death. Spinal or vertebral fractures also have serious consequences, including loss of height, severe back pain, and deformity.

Normally during a period of life the body can build and break bone in an appropriate rate. The building rate is higher than the breaking rate during growing age and fades its role down while the breaking rate gradually speeds its role up when no more growth needed. The critical years for building bone mass are from prior to adolescence to about age 30. The decline of bone mass certainly noted after 40 in both sexes. This bone loss is accelerated in patients with osteoporosis. Many factors can lead to excessive bone loss, and different variants of osteoporosis. Postmenopausal osteoporosis in women is the most common form of osteoporosis.

More than one third of women will sustain a fracture due to osteoporosis at some stage of their lives and the consequences can result in a long period of disability. In women, bone loss accelerates after menopause, when your ovaries stop producing estrogen - the hormone that can protect against bone loss.

Osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures annually, including:

• 300,000 hip fractures; and approximately
• 700,000 vertebral fractures,
• 250,000 wrist fractures; and
• 300,000 fractures at other sites.

A Bone Mineral Density test (BMD) is the only way to diagnose osteoporosis and determine your risk for future fracture. Since osteoporosis can develop undetected for decades until a fracture occurs, early diagnosis is important.

A BMD measures the density of your bones (bone mass) and is necessary to determine whether you need medication to help maintain your bone mass, prevent further bone loss and reduce fracture risk. A bone mineral density (BMD) test is a special type of test that is accurate, painless and noninvasive.

Osteoporosis is often called the "silent disease" because bone loss occurs without symptoms. People may not know that they have osteoporosis until their bones become so weak that a sudden strain, bump, or fall causes a fracture or a vertebra to collapse.

Collapsed vertebrae may initially be felt or seen in the form of severe back pain, loss of height, or spinal deformities such as kyphosis or stooped posture.

Building strong bones, especially before the age of 30, can be the best defense against developing osteoporosis, and a healthy lifestyle can be critically important for keeping bones strong.

• A balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D or Nutritional supplementation
• Weight-bearing exercise
• A healthy lifestyle with no smoking or excessive alcohol use
• Avoid caffeine
• Consider hormone replacement therapy (natural hormones or conventional hormones) if you have several risk factors.
• And bone density testing and medications when appropriate

• Calcium: Calcium is a main mineral component of bones and teeth. It is well known as the supplement for prevention of osteoporosis (1-4, 7, 8).
• Vitamin D: This fat-soluble vitamin has been reported that aids the absorption of calcium (1-4, 7, 8).
• Soy Isoflavones: There are several researches presented that isoflavones from soy are useful to preventing or treating bone loss and osteoporosis (1-3, 5-7, 14).
• Magnesium: Magnesium is another mineral related to osteoporosis. Magnesium supplementation is as important as calcium supplementation in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis (1, 3, 7, 11, 14).
• Boron: Boron supplementation reduced the urinary excretion of calcium (7). Boron is an element needed for optimal calcium metabolism and are thus needed to prevent the excessive bone loss which often occurs in postmenopausal women and older men (1, 7, 10, 11).
• Vitamin B: Vitamin B6 and B12 are the beneficial vitamins for osteoporosis (1, 3, 7, 14).
• Vitamin K: Increasing evidence indicates a significant role for vitamin K in bone metabolism and osteoporosis (1, 13). It is required for the production of the protein matrix on which mineralization occurs (7).