Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is an illness where the bones in the body become weaker. It is caused by too little calcium being added to bones. The low level of calcium causes bones to become brittle (break easily), leading to the name sometimes given to the illness, Brittle Bone Disease. Some of the symptoms include bone pain and fractures (breaks or cracks in bones) happening too easily ^[1]. Women are more likely to get Osteoporosis than men are ^[2] and, similarly, older people are more likely to get it than young people - although it has been seen in children. The amount of calcium you have in your bones becomes less as you get older. Your bones are strongest when you're around 30 years old.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for Osteoporosis. There are ways to stop it from happening by getting exercise and making sure you get enough calcium in your diet. You can get calcium from lots of different sources such as milk, watercress and sardines. Vitamin D, which is produced by your body when you're exposed to sunlight, is also helpful in stopping you from getting Osteoporosis. Drinking things which contain caffeine and alcohol make it more likely that you will get Osteoporosis and having too much salt in your food causes you to lose more calcium in your urine when you go to the toilet.