Co-hosts of the Bone Up podcastOsteoporosis is an age-related condition that causes bones to become fragile and fracture. While in childhood fractures can be merely an inconvenience, in older life a hip fracture carries a 25 per cent mortality rate, not to mention the pain and disability suffered by patients because of crushed vertebrae or broken wrists.
Healthy babies are much less likely to suffer fractures in old age and a 10 per cent increase in bone mass during adolescence leads to 50 per cent reduction in adult fracture risk. At any stage of life weight-bearing exercise, walking, going to the gym, running and jumping improves bone mass and density.
Even exercise in elderly years is beneficial, and simple activities such as standing up
