Are you suffering from back pain? Do you have fragile bones?

You may be experiencing the first signs of a very common type of bone disease: osteoporosis.

A recent study shows that women with back pain underestimate their risk of spinal fractures. The survey conducted by the website spine-health.com shows an alarming result: 98% of women over age 50 had more than one risk factor for a spinal fracture of hip, wrist or vertebrae (bones of the spine) due to osteoporosis.

An estimated 10 million Americans have osteoporosis in many different stages. In addition, another 18 million may develop the disease due to low bone mass, also called osteopenia.

Osteoporosis occurs when the body does not form enough new bone due to lack of essential minerals for bone formation, such as calcium and phosphate.

Many people get enough calcium from food sources. However, low absorption is normally responsible for the development of osteoporosis. Bone tissues may suffer from lack of calcium, resulting in pain from weak bones more prone to fractures.

Women over age 50 battle the disease because of the drop of estrogen at the time of menopause. Men over age 50 also suffer from the reduction of testosterone but the effects on bone formation are less noticeable.

Several reasons may contribute to increase risk of developing osteoporosis such as smoking, drinking large amounts of alcohol, too little calcium in the diet, low body weight and women with absence of menstrual periods (amenorrhea).

Natural supplements may help preventing osteoporosis. The best formulas generally have calcium, magnesium and vitamin D, an important ingredient to improve absorption.

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