Why is bone mass important?

Osteoporosis, a condition that affects the strength of the skeletal system and causes problems with posture and with bone weakness, is the result of bone mass loss. The clinical consequence of low bone mass is fracture.

In fact, for every one standard deviation below peak bone mass, the risk of vertebral fracture is twice that of normal bone mass, and 2.5 times that for the hip. Low bone mass is a modifiable risk factor for fractures. To explain it in terms of an analogy, low bone mass is to fractures what high cholesterol or high blood pressure is to a heart attack. However, although bone mass loss is a natural part of human aging, preventative and treatment strategies can help to retain bone strength so that fractures are avoidable.