Osteoporosis means porosity or thinning of the bones. It is a skeletal disease in which the amount of bone tissue is reduced, causing bone to become weak and more susceptible to fracture. In normal young adults, the bones are strong and only break when there is severe trauma, such as an accident. With aging, especially after menopause, bones become thinner and weaken so they break much more easily. These fragility fractures are the hallmark of osteoporosis and are particularly common in the wrist, spine, and hip.
Bone tissue is constantly dissolving and regenerating. During childhood and adolescence, the amount of bone in the skeleton increases, reaching a maximum in the 20s. As we age, the amount that dissolves exceeds the amount created, resulting in an unstable bone. This bone loss continues throughout life for both men and women. For women this becomes especially dramatic during menopause when estrogen levels decline, since estrogen aids in bone regeneration.
What are the Risk Factors?Age. The older you are, the greater your risk of osteoporosis. Your bones become weaker and less dense as you age.
Gender. Your chances of developing osteoporosis are greater if you are a woman. Women have less bone tissue and lose bone more rapidly than men because of the changes involved in menopause.
Family History and Personal History of Fractures as an Adult. Susceptibility to fracture may be, in part, hereditary. Young women whose mothers have a history of vertebral fractures also seem to have reduced bone mass. A personal history of a fracture as an adult also increases your fracture risk.
Race. Caucasian and Asian women are more likely to develop osteoporosis. However, African American and Hispanic women are at significant risk for developing the disease.
Bone Structure and Body Weight. Small-boned and thin women (under 127 pounds) are at greater risk.
Menopause/Menstrual History. Normal or early menopause (brought about naturally or because of surgery) increases your risk of developing osteoporosis. In addition, women who stop menstruating before menopause because of conditions such as anorexia or bulimia, or because of excessive physical exercise, may also lose bone tissue and develop osteoporosis.
Lifestyle. Current cigarette smoking, drinking too much alcohol, consuming an inadequate amount of calcium or getting little or no weight-bearing exercise, increases your chances of developing osteoporosis.
Medications/Chronic Diseases. Medications to treat disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, endocrine disorders (i.e. an under-active thyroid), seizure disorders and gastrointestinal diseases may have side effects that can damage bone and lead to osteoporosis.
How
is Osteoporosis Diagnosed?
The best screening test for osteoporosis is dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). It is a relatively brief, painless and accurate procedure that uses very small amounts of radiation to measure the bone density of the spine, hip or total body. An individual lies on an open table while a metal arm moves over the body. The results determine an individual’s osteoporosis risk and suggest whether treatment is needed. This test can detect osteoporosis before a fracture occurs and can predict the chances of fracturing in the future. DXA is also used to determine the rate of bone loss and to monitor an individual’s response to treatment.
Height measurement is another way to detect spinal fracture. We all lose some height as we get older due to the flattening of the cushions between spinal bones. About an inch of height loss is normal, depending upon age. More than that can indicate the occurrence of a compression fracture which surprisingly can go unrecognized.
Blood and urine tests do not diagnose osteoporosis, but they are useful in determining if there is another cause of bone loss such as an overactive thyroid gland, liver disease or myeloma (malignant condition of the bone marrow).
Building strong bones during childhood and adolescence can be the best defense against developing osteoporosis later. Other life-style choices include:
The use of over-the counter soy isoflavone supplements is becoming more common for post-menopausal women as prevention for osteoporosis. Post-menopausal women are particularly susceptible because their estrogen production has declined. Estrogen, or hormonal replacement therapy known as HRT, has been shown to reduce bone loss and fractures, but recent studies have outlined some risks. The possibility of those risks has made a number of women seek alternative ways to prevent the debilitating and costly disease of osteoporosis.
Soy products have been used for centuries in other cultures where there
is less osteoporosis. Inside the soybeans are substances called isoflavones.
Isoflavones are natural products synthesized by plants. They are often
called "plant hormones" or "phytoestrogens" because
they have chemical structures similar to estrogen. Traditionally, isoflavones
have been viewed as being very weak estrogens but recent research demonstrates
that while isoflavones do share some of biological properties of estrogen
they are also quite different from estrogen. For example, estrogens can
increase the risk of developing potentially harmful blood clots whereas
isoflavones do not. Similarly, estrogens can increase a type of fat (triglycerides)
in the bloodstream that increases risk of heart disease whereas isoflavones
do not. Thus, it is more accurate to think of isoflavones as having 'estrogen
like' rather than estrogenic properties. They are anti-oxidants and may
have a role in preventing aging. Consequently, no conclusions about the
health effects of isoflavones should be made on the basis of what estrogen
does or doesn't do.
There have been several small studies showing the benefit of isoflavone supplementation on post-menopausal women, but there have been no rigorous, long-term studies.
This soy study is the first long-term national study to determine the benefits of over-the-counter soy supplements in the prevention of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women. The current scientific study using state-of-the-art techniques is designed to specifically to answer the following questions:
If the answers to these questions are positive, the study will have significant implications for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis in women and for the enormous health-care costs involved. The results of this study will be communicated to healthcare providers, the scientific community, consumers and educators.
To Order Osteoporosis & Soy Materials
Adult curriculum is available at the Texas Cooperative Extension Website:
http://extensiononline.tamu.edu
For more information click on Osteoporosis and Women’s Health Resources