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 first came onto the market over sixty years ago and is still going strong. But did you know that this common drug used for a variety of different conditions also has some pretty serious side effects as well? Continue reading
Can you take ibuprofen on an empty stomach?
Despite popular belief that you have to take ibuprofen with food, you can take ibuprofen on an empty stomach and this will give you faster pain relief than taking it with food. Food increases the time it takes for ibuprofen to be absorbed, although it won't affect how much is absorbed. There is actually no evidence that taking ibuprofen with food prevents gastric irritation – ibuprofen at OTC doses has a low incidence of gastric irritation anyway. Continue reading
See also:
Qulipta
Qulipta is used to help prevent episodic or chronic migraine headaches in adults. Qulipta is an ...
Aimovig
Learn about Aimovig (erenumab-aooe) a once-monthly, injectable medication that can be ...
Humira
Humira is a tumor necrosis factor blocker used to treat many inflammatory conditions in adults ...
Ubrelvy
Ubrelvy (ubrogepant) tablets are used for the acute treatment of migraine. Includes Ubrelvy side ...
Nurtec ODT
Nurtec ODT (rimegepant) is used to treat acute migraines and prevent episodic migraines, by ...
Xeomin
Xeomin (incobotulinumtoxinA) is used to treat cervical dystonia, blepharospasm, upper facial lines ...
Dysport
Dysport (abobotulinumtoxinA) is used to treat cervical dystonia, glabellar lines and limb ...
Botox Cosmetic
Botox Cosmetic is a prescription treatment for fine lines and wrinkles. It temporarily improves the ...
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 overdose on ibuprofen?
- Can you take tramadol with acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or aspirin?
- 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?
- How do I know if methotrexate is working for rheumatoid arthritis?
- Is meloxicam very similar to Celebrex?
- Does Celebrex act as a blood thinner or cause bleeding?
Related support groups
- Rheumatoid Arthritis (337 questions, 1,333 members)
- Osteoporosis (70 questions, 294 members)
- Osteopenia (7 questions, 30 members)