Many Middle-Aged Men May Have Signs of Thinning Bones
By Amy Norton/HealthDay Reporter
Brittle bones are often seen as a woman’s health issue, but low bone mass may be more common among middle-aged men than generally thought, a small study suggests.
The research, of 173 adults aged 35 to 50, found that men and women were equally likely to have low bone mass in the hip. It was found in 28% of men and 26% of women.
Those study participants, the researchers said, had osteopenia, or lower-than-normal bone density. In some cases, it progresses to osteoporosis — the brittle-bone disease that makes people vulnerable to fractures.
The fact that osteopenia was just as common in men came as a surprise, said researcher Allison Ford, a professor of health and exercise science at the University of Mississippi.
Full-blown osteoporosis is clearly more common in women. About one-quarter of U.S. women aged 65 and up have the condition in the hip or lower spine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That compares with about 5% of men the same age.
But, Ford said, the new findings suggest low bone density might be more common in middle-aged men than appreciated.
“Low bone mineral density and osteoporosis affect men,” she said. “They should not be overlooked.”