What causes osteoporosis?
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on April 8, 2025.
What causes the bones of people with osteoporosis to become thin and weak?
Osteoporosis occurs when our bodies do not make enough new bone or our bodies reabsorb old bone, or both. It is a bone disease characterised by the thinning of bone and loss of bone density often resulting in a bone fracture (broken bone).
Our bones can be weakened in several ways:
- Calcium is a mineral essential to bone production. We get Calcium through our diet. If we do not get enough calcium in our diet bone production suffers.
- As we age our body can reabsorb calcium from our bones leaving our bones weak, brittle, fragile and prone to fracture.
This bone loss happens gradually over years and it often is not picked up until a fracture occurs and by then the osteoporosis is well advanced.
For more information on causes and treatments visit:
Read next
What's a good prednisone taper schedule?
The best prednisone taper will depend upon how long you have been taking the medicine, your dose, and why you are being treated. If you've been treated with a high dose of prednisone, or taken it for more than a few weeks, you will need to slowly stop your medicine, usually over a period of days, weeks or months. Your healthcare provider will determine your prednisone tapering schedule. Continue reading
Prednisone: What are 12 Things You Should Know?
Prednisone has been on the market for more than 70 years but is still one of the most commonly prescribed anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive medications. Prednisone is used to treat dozens of different conditions such as skin disorders, breathing disorders, allergies, arthritis, and ulcerative colitis. But did you know it also has some pretty serious side effects as well?
Continue reading
Can you take ibuprofen on an empty stomach?
Despite the common belief that you must take ibuprofen with food, you can safely take low-dose ibuprofen (up to 1200 mg daily in divided doses for 1 to 7 days) on an empty stomach, and this provides faster pain relief than taking ibuprofen with food. Food slows ibuprofen absorption time, although it doesn't affect the total amount absorbed. There is actually no scientific evidence that taking ibuprofen with food prevents stomach irritation. Over-the-counter ibuprofen doses have a low incidence of gastric problems anyway.
Continue readingSee also:
Related medical questions
- How long does a rheumatoid arthritis flare-up last?
- What are the 4 stages of rheumatoid arthritis?
- What are the best foods to eat or avoid for RA?
- RA vs OA vs PsA: Which one is it?
- What does rheumatoid arthritis feel like?
- What are the first signs of rheumatoid arthritis?
- Osteoporosis FAQs: Your Top Questions Answered
- Meloxicam vs Ibuprofen: What's the difference?
- Aleve vs Ibuprofen: What's the difference?
- Can you take expired ibuprofen?
- Can You Take Tramadol with Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, or Aspirin?
- Can you overdose on ibuprofen?
- Can you drink alcohol with ibuprofen?
- How do Celebrex and ibuprofen compare?
- Should I take meloxicam at night or in the morning?
- How long can you take Celebrex for?
- What are the new drugs for rheumatoid arthritis (RA)?
- Tylenol vs Advil: What's the difference?
- How long does ibuprofen take to work?
- Can ibuprofen cause constipation?
- All Eyes on Ibuprofen: What are 10 Things You Need to Know?
- Why should I take folic acid with methotrexate?
- Can antidepressants be used for arthritis pain?
- How will I feel after a Rituxan infusion?
- Does Celebrex act as a blood thinner or cause bleeding?
- How do I know if methotrexate is working for rheumatoid arthritis?
- What are JAK inhibitors and how do they work?
Related support groups
- Rheumatoid Arthritis (337 questions, 1,336 members)
- Osteoporosis (70 questions, 294 members)
- Osteopenia (7 questions, 30 members)