Cause of Osteopenia, Osteoporosis

If you're looking for the Cause of Osteopenia, you probably have been diagnosed with this condition. It is natural to ask: Why do I have this? How did it happen?

But there is another reason why it is important to understand what led to your excessive bone loss. If you know why you have lost bone,

you will be better able to reverse the condition because you will know exactly what things have caused your bone loss.

There are many different things that can be a cause of Osteopenia.

(Do look over the whole page. Some sections have links to articles that explain things better. If you do not have time to read everything today, do Bookmark the page and come back later. It is really important for you to understand the cause of Osteopenia.)

Osteopenia is one condition where what we do and how we act has an enormous effect on our improvement ....or lack thereof. Here you may learn of things that you never realized could be a cause of Osteopenia. Perhaps ome small changes in your daily activities can help you improve your bone density!

There is NO ONE SINGLE cause of Osteopenia, Osteoporosis

You will find the success in rebuilding lost bone mineral density, when you figure out all the reasons that led to your own bone loss.

Here is list of likely causes:


  1. Chronic dehydration a 'Silent' cause for many people
  2. Elevated levels of iron after menopause.
  3. Genetics and age can be a cause of Osteopenia. We can not change these but we can 'off set' their effects:
  4. Lifestyle factors:
    • Sedentary life style Bed rest for 3 or more days, lack of weight bearing activities. People who do heavy manual labor, often have less bone loss than office workers. Astronauts lost bone density during weightless days See: Weight bearing exercises and your bones
    • Stress is a major cause! Find out what you can do, go to: Stress and Bone Loss
    • Dieting - if you have lost 10 pounds (or more)  at least twice in your lifetime, you should read Dieting as a cause of Osteopenia .
    • Alcohol use. Do you know the bone loss 'tipping point" in alcohol consumption? If not, do read: Alcohol and Osteopenia
    • Caffeine. Did you know that coffee, tea, soda pop, chocolate or sports drinks can lead to bone loss? Find out how much is 'too much' at: Caffeine and your Bones
    • Low Vitamin D - amounts recommended
    • Sodium can be problem. Read more at Sodium and bone loss
    • Tobacco use, Smoking, Second hand smoke, Exposure to Cadmium. Go to:Cadmium and second hand smoke cases bone loss
    • Excessive exercise. Women whose excessive exercise leads to irregular or nonexistent periods or men who engage in excessive exercise or dietary manipulation that leads to a drop in testosterone levels will lose bone mass.
    • Eating patterns: Eating less than 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Read more at
      Food and Calcium levels 
    • Magnesium in your diet
    • ,Vitamin D: who needs it and how much?
    •  Vitamin K and your bones.
    • Phosphorous imbalance- Too little or too much phosphorous upsets the balance needed to keep bones strong.  A real problem is drinking carbonated beverages. They increase the amount of phosphorus so much that it upsets the delicate Calcium/Phosphorus balance necessary for good bone growth.
    • Protein - many people in the developed world consume more protein than is good for the body. Too much protein makes for an acidic condition. Your body needs to keep in a 'acid-alkaline' balance or you would die so when your body gets too acidic, it pulls Calcium from bones and teeth to counteract the acid state and return your body to balance.
  5. Medical Conditions and Treatments:

I shall add more articles about these causes of Osteopenia. I suggest that you bookmark this page or Add it to Favorites so you can find it easily.

You may also want to read what has been traditionally listed as Osteoporosis Risk Factors