Probably many factors are involved. One is the loss of hormones after the menopause. Exercise and diet are also important. Oestrogens are known to help in calcium retention and bone
formation, just as the male hormone, testosterone, does in the man. Women lose their hormones more suddenly, while male hormones taper off gradually into old age Osteoporosis in men, therefore, only seems to have become important in a much older age group. Some studies have suggested that oestrogen reduction in the body is in some way responsible for osteoporosis, and the fact that osteoporosis starts at the menopause certainly seems to confirm this. Galiagher and co-workers found that postmenopausal women lose calcium in their urine while they sleep, and they found that this could be totally reversed by the administration of daily oestrogens, an effect that was detectable within two weeks.
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