Until about the age of 30, your body is able to build and store bone effectively. After you have reached your peak bone mass at about 30, you start to lose bone very slowly. Think of your bones as being like a bank account. You only have as much bone mass saved up in that account as you deposit. So, if you have not saved up enough bone by age 30, you have a greater risk for developing thin bones and osteoporosis.

What is osteoporosis?
"Osteo" means bone and "porosis" means porous = porous bone. It is a disease characterized by general thinning and weakness of bone due to low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone. This causes the bone to be fragile and more susceptible to fractures.

Osteoporosis is frequently referred to as a "silent" disease, as bone loss occurs with no symptoms. Individuals with osteoporosis frequently do not know that they have the disease until they suffer a fracture.

Osteoporosis is the most common metabolic bone disease. It is considered a major public health threat for more than 28 million Americans, 3 million of whom are Texans.