Osteoporosis is a condition affecting bone tissue and causes a loss of its mass. Thus, the bones become porous and therefore more fragile. But even if we hear more and more about osteoporosis and we have a better knowledge of this disease some myths persists. Here is a list of the 7 biggest myths about osteoporosis and the realities about them.
Although more women are affected by osteoporosis, mainly because of the decrease in the level of estrogen after menopause, many men are affected by this disease too. During their lifetime,
at least 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men will suffer a broken bone from osteoporosis. In rarer cases, children can also be affected.
Osteopenia is linked to low bone density and is often an intermediate step that leads to osteoporosis. However, suffering from osteopenia does not mean that you will necessarily suffer from osteoporosis. In most cases, osteopenia is limited to one area of the body and does not result in a loss of generalized bone mass as is the case with osteoporosis.
According to statistics, 1 in 2 women and 1 in 4 men living with osteoporosis will break a bone. However, do not forget that many people with normal bone mass can fracture a bone at some point in their lives. Thus, there is not necessarily a causal link even if the risk factor remains high. More than 80% of all fracture in people of more than 50 years old is caused by osteoporosis.
On the contrary, osteoporosis is a serious disease that can even be fatal. In addition to the loss of autonomy that it can cause, many of the fractures recorded and related to this disease are fractures of the hip. This fracture is far from being benign since more than 25% of people who have suffered from this type of fracture die within 6 to 12 months. The main reason being complications related to the replacement of the hip and its operation (pneumonia, heart attack, infections …).
This statement is false for two reasons. First, because osteoporosis, and therefore the acute loss of bone mass, can affect people in their forties and even in their 30s or even 20s. Secondly, because genetics and certain factors such as medical history, smoking and eating habits can put you at greater risk of developing this disease.
Osteoporosis is not an inevitable process. On the contrary, we can control some of the factors that lead to bone loss. Combine a healthy lifestyle with a natural supplement like Genacol Bone & Joint helps prevent and fight osteoporosis.