Bone is a living structure and active, continually being reshaped through the formation of new tissue and removal of the old. This remodeling may be affected by nutritional deficiencies and excesses, but also by factors associated with lifestyle.
1. The age
During the first years of life (through adolescence), bone production exceeds losses due to remodeling. In youth formation and resorption are similar, in middle age, following the fall of the concentration of steroids, especially in postmenopausal women, reduces bone resorption by increasing training and at older ages the resorption of bone loss occurs more rapidly. As the bones of younger women wear the effects of bone has a greater effect on them.
During aging reduces bone mass and makes them more fragile. The decrease in volume is due to the loss of calcium and other minerals from bone matrix (demineralization). This process began over 30 years for women and lost about 8% of bone mass every 10 years. In men, the process begins at the same age and lost by 3% per decade.
The fragility is due to reduced protein synthesis, particularly collagen, bones that give the tensile strength. Therefore, minerals are an increasing proportion and the loss of tensile strength causes bones to become fragile and prone to fracture.
