By Elena Voropay

Osteoporosis, or loss of bone mass, can doesn't reserve its place for the elderly women only. Approximately 95 percent of our skeleton is developed during the first 18 years of life, then it naturally deteriorates. Approximately 80 percent of bone mass is genetically determined, however not all of us have excellent genetics, and many haven't been able to build an unbreakable skeleton at youth.

According to Osteoporosis Australia, every 8 minutes, someone is admitted to an Australian hospital with an osteoporotic fracture. This is expected to rise to every 3-4 minutes by the year 2021, as the population ages and the number of osteoporotic fractures increase.

Our bones reach their peak level of density (or mass) in the mid-20s (on average), and after age 35, both men and women start to lose bone at a slow rate of 1 to 2 percent per year. This bone loss is accelerated in women around and after menopause to about 5 percent per year for five to seven years, and then the bone loss in women returns to a baseline of 1 to 2 percent per year.

Men don’t go through the accelerated menopausal bone loss, but they still continue to lose bone at the rate of 1 to 2 percent per year. After age 65, men and women lose bone at the same rate. By age 75, one-third of men have osteoporosis as do a third of women.

A number of drugs, including calcitonin, bisphosphonates, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, may slow bone resorption, but have little effect on the stimulation of bone formation. Fluoride and parathyroid hormone may stimulate bone formation, but are not proven to reduce the rates of fracture.

Protecting our bones is obviously important, but figuring out exactly how to do that in terms of our diet can be confusing.

Adequate calcium intake, weight-bearing exercise, and estrogen-replacement therapy for women who have entered menopause are the primary lifestyle factors. To support your bones, stop smoking if you do and avoid alcohol, caffeine and carbonated beverages as these have shown to excrete bone-building minerals calcium and phosphorus from the body. Supplement with nutrients that are important to the skeleton, including protein, vitamins C and D, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc, and boron.