Incidence of osteoporosis increasing? - Bone Health and O...

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Incidence of osteoporosis increasing?

HeronNS profile image
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Does anyone know if the incidence of osteoporosis is increasing in relation to changes in diet, including worldwide degradation of nutritional content in food (e.g. loss of Vitamin K2), and reduced exposure to sun resulting in Vitamin D deficiency?

There does seem to be a significant increase occurring and projected:

iofbonehealth.org/facts-sta...

But does anyone know why?

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HeronNS profile image
HeronNS
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8 Replies
veriterc profile image
veriterc

Now that's a brilliant question, but probably won't get any major interest as there is no money to made telling people to eat what kept our ancestors healthy. They died early because of TB, polio, smallpox etc. but if they avoided these often lived well into their 80s.

Posy-White profile image
Posy-White

Would be really interesting to know the answer...... think veriterc has some of the answers as to why we don't know the full picture.

On a personal note I thought I would have / get osteoporosis because of my diet difficulties (I haven't been able to eat many of the 'right foods' to help prevent osteoporosis all my adult life and had difficulties with lots in childhood). However when I was diagnosed I asked if my diet was the reason, but was told by the Consultant that the hereditary factor was the great and as my Mother had osteoporosis this was the more likely reason.

MiaLee profile image
MiaLee

A good question. My own thoughts are that the ‘incidence’ is increasing due to big pharma’s redefinition of the ‘disease’ , the invention of dexa scanners by the drug company Merck, and that Merck was the ‘board’ that arbitrarily decided what the ‘t’ scores would be in order to classify someone as having osteoporosis, and the new ‘disease’ of osteopenia. All of these things are well documented, and are the basis for the great amount of controversy that surrounds these drugs and the ‘disease’.

sweetsusie profile image
sweetsusie

Part of the increase could be due to the baby boom generation (which I am one). This is a huge population and we're becoming to an age where this occurs?

HeronNS profile image
HeronNS in reply tosweetsusie

I think the increase takes population increase into account. At least, that's my reading of "incidence" but if it's a straightforward increase due to more people in the aging demographic that's no surprise.

Met00 profile image
Met00

I think there is an increase, due I would imagine to a combination of factors: sedentary lifestyle and poor diet, combined with a huge increase in diagnosis due to DEXA scanning. Previously it was only diagnosed if you had a fragility fracture - by that definition, I wouldn't have osteoporosis!

MiaLee profile image
MiaLee in reply toMet00

Which is why at the 12th annual conference for drug policy at the University of Brutish Columbia, a paper was presented by the head of drug policy called “ On Not using Scans to Sell Drugs”. The scans are very controversial as a means to decide if someone has osteoporosis. It is why there are also calls for ‘ informed consent’ to also include information about controversy surrounding diagnosing and prescribing drugs that can cause great harm.

Sunseaandsand profile image
Sunseaandsand

I have always had an healthy diet, and up until my last 3 fractures remained extremely active.

Interestingly my Calcium levels are good (I have never needed calcium supplements) equally my Vitamin D levels are also good ( I am and always have been a sun lover).

I have not needed any Vitamin D supplements either.

Despite this I have still had the 4 fractures.

However I still believe that a good varied diet has enormous benefits.

I don't believe a bad diet necessarily is responsible for everything it's blamed for.

For example I have hyperinflated lungs and have never smoked a cigarette in my life!!

I notice also that one reply you have received mentions the hereditary factor being responsible.

I am the only one in my family with Osteoporosis.

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