SPEAKER: Osteoporosis is
a disease that makes your bones
thin and weak.
Normally your body is constantly
replacing old bone tissue
with new bone tissue, which
is made of calcium and collagen.
Osteoporosis happens when
your body removes old bone too
quickly or doesn't make new bone
fast enough.
Healthy bones have
a honeycomb structure.
But with osteoporosis,
the spaces inside grow bigger.
This makes your bones less dense
and more likely to break,
especially in your hip, spine,
and wrist.
Osteoporosis is called
a silent disease because you
might not know you have it
until you break a bone.
The good news is that it can be
treated and even prevented
by taking care of your bones.
Your body needs calcium to work
like it should, but it doesn't
make calcium on its own.
If you don't get enough calcium
every day
from foods and vitamins,
your body takes it
from your bones, which speeds up
bone loss.
To keep your bones strong,
eat foods high in calcium
and vitamin D. Exercise,
don't smoke, and talk
to your doctor
about medicines that can help.