Bradley Kingery & Malik Barber
2/14/16
BIO 103-AC01
Professor John Law

The Skeletal System
Osteoporosis

Summary
Osteoporosis is a disease that makes bones fragile and more susceptible to fracture over time. It occurs when your body is losing bone cells faster than it can produce them, causing the bones to thin. It effects about half of all women over age 65, and close to one-fifth of men over 70. The most common injury in osteoporosis is ‘dowager’s hump,’ which is caused by the collapsing of the bones of the spine. This causes the curvature of the spine that the disease is so infamous for. Other common injuries include forearm fractures, knee fractures, and hip fractures which are often disabling and sometimes even fatal. On average, the United States spends around $14 billion on osteoporosis every year, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

Many people think of bones as hard, stone-like objects. Bones are actually living, growing tissue made up of cells that are constantly being lost and replaced. There are three major components that form bones and keep them strong: calcium, collagen, and living bone cells. Collagen is a protein that gives bone flexibility, calcium keeps them strong and solid, while living bone cells are constantly replacing old ones.
Many people wonder how bone grows if it is constantly being lost and replaced. The answer is that children and teenagers actually form new bone faster than they lose old bone. Even when teens have reached their peak height, still they make more bone than they lose. Their bones continue growing in density until they reach peak bone mass, as experts call it. Peak bone mass is the point at which your bones will have the highest bone size, density, and strength that they will ever have. This\point occurs between the ages of 18 and 25, and usually around 21. The higher your individual point