Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease that can be prevented and treated. Osteoporosis occurs when the body fails to form enough new bone, or when too much old bone is reabsorbed by the body, or both.
Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. There are currently an estimated 10 million Americans suffering from osteoporosis, as well as another 18 million who have low bone mass, or osteopenia. While women are four times more likely than men to develop the disease, men also suffer from osteoporosis. Calcium and phosphate are two minerals that are essential for normal bone formation.

As people age, calcium and phosphate may be reabsorbed back into the body from the bones, which makes the bone tissue weaker. This situation can result in brittle, fragile bones that are subject to fractures, even in the absence of trauma. Researchers estimate that about 20% of American women over the age of 50 have osteoporosis. In addition, another 30% of them have osteopenia, which is abnormally low bone density that may eventually deteriorate into osteoporosis, if not treated. About half of all women over the age of 50 will suffer a fracture of the hip, wrist, or vertebra due osteoporosis.