Men and Osteoporosis-- The Risk is Greater than You May Think

Osteoporosis is a common problem among women as they get older, but men need to know about the disease as well.

85-year-old Bill Dodds is a regular at the fitness center ever since he learned he has a disease without any symptoms.

"Here I am, 85, never knew, never knew, never had a sign that I had osteoporosis, but I'm walking around with it," said Dodds.

Dodds and most other Americans believe osteoporosis is a woman's disease. But more than 2 million American men have it and many more are at risk.

But Dodds was lucky he caught it early before a fracture. Now, he's part of a National Institutes of Health study on men and osteoporosis.

"There's a lot that we don't know, but I think one of the major problems that men have is that not only they themselves but their physicians don't even recognize it as a threat. And yet, about 25 percent of the cost of fractures in this country are fractures in men," explained Dr. Joan McGowan with the National Institutes of Health.

A bone density test can identify the problem early.

McGowan said, "They should have enough calcium and Vitamin D. Vitamin D becomes increasingly important as we age and even as we stay more in our offices than outside."

What else can help? McGowan says, "...physical activity--because the less active you are, the less your bone perceives they really need to be there."

Dodds knows the importance of caring for your bones early in life. He says, "If you don't take care of your bones when you're young, you may not have such good bones later on."
source:www.nbc29.com