Causes of Osteoporosis

05 Feb Causes of Osteoporosis

It is often suggested that the major causes of osteoporosis are low calcium intake and lower estrogen levels at menopause. Tracking a cross-cultural perspective, however, we find that this is not always true.

For example, people in many countries have lower calcium intakes than in the US, yet osteoporosis is less prevalent in these cultures.

As an example, the Japanese calcium intake has only recently risen to 540 mg per day, much less than the US RDA for post-menopausal women of 1,200 mg per day. And yet the US hip fracture rate is twice that of Japan!

In fact, research has shown that countries with the highest calcium intake have the highest hip fracture rates. Furthermore, I have identified at least 19 nutrients in addition to calcium that are essential to bone health.