Osteoporosis Facts Osteoporosis is a major public health threat for 28 million Americans, 80 percent of whom are women. In the U.S. today, 10 million individuals already have the disease and 18 million more have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis.   One out of two women and one in eight men over age 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. An average of 24 percent of hip fracture patients age 50 and over die within a year of their injury. Medical expenditures for the treatment of osteoporosis-related fractures in the United States cost $13.8 billion. Medical experts agree that osteoporosis is highly preventable. By the age 20, the average woman has acquired 98 percent of her skeletal mass. Building strong bones during childhood and adolescence can be the best defense against developing osteoporosis later. A comprehensive program that can help prevent osteoporosis is a diet rich in calcium and Vitamin D combined with regular weight-bearing exercise, and a healthy lifestyle with no smoking and limited alcohol intake. References National Osteoporosis Foundation. (1997) 1996 and 2015 Osteoporosis Prevalence Figures State-by-State Report. Washington, DC.   Chrischilles, EA, Butler, CD, Davis CS, Wallace RB. (1991) A Model of Lifetime Osteoporosis Impact. Arch Intern Med. 151, 2026-2032.   Melton, III, L.J. (1995) How Many Women Have Osteoporosis Now? J Bone Miner Res 10(2), 1175-1177.   U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. (1994, July) Hip Fracture Outcomes in People Age 50 and Over-Background Paper. OTA-BP-H-120. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.   Ray, N.F., Chan, J.K., Thamer M., Melton, III, L.J. (1997) Medical expenditures for the treatment of osteoporotic fractures in the United States in 1995: Report from the National Osteoporosis Foundation. J of Bone and Miner Res. 12(1), 24-35.   Teegarden, D., Proulx, W.R., Martin, B.R., Zhao, J., Mccabe, G.P., Lyle, R.M., Peacock, M., Slemenda, C., Johnston, C.C., Weaver, C.M. (1995) Peak bone mass in young women. J Bone and Min Res (10)5, 711-715.   National Osteoporosis Foundation. (1998) Fast Facts on Osteoporosis. Washington, DC.