[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/osteoporosis\/osteoporosis-causes\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/osteoporosis\/osteoporosis-causes\/","headline":"125 secondary causes (and more) for osteoporosis","name":"125 secondary causes (and more) for osteoporosis","description":"Print PDF eBook Facebook Twitter Gmail LinkedIn Pinterest The Better Bones Revolution Manifesto states in truth #4: \u201cThere is always a cause for excessive bone loss and bone fragility.\u201d Read on for these osteoporosis causes Table of Contents Toggle   2 Minutes ReadHow about 125 different osteoporosis causes?What this tells us about treatment for osteoporosis How […]","datePublished":"2012-11-19","dateModified":"2026-04-22","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/author\/brownbetterbonesgmail-com\/#Person","name":"Dr. Susan E. Brown, PhD","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/author\/brownbetterbonesgmail-com\/","identifier":72,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e08d87bd45250c6616e1752933a6576aba077f335d97ee337a0cde5e435cbd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e08d87bd45250c6616e1752933a6576aba077f335d97ee337a0cde5e435cbd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Center for Better Bones","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Better-Bones-AMP.png","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Better-Bones-AMP.png","width":150,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/125-secondary-causes-of-osteoporosis.png","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/125-secondary-causes-of-osteoporosis.png","height":512,"width":1024},"url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/osteoporosis\/osteoporosis-causes\/","about":["Osteoporosis"],"wordCount":387,"keywords":["osteoporosis causes"],"articleBody":" Print PDF eBook\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFacebook\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTwitter\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGmail\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLinkedIn\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPinterest\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Better Bones Revolution Manifesto states in truth #4: \u201cThere is always a cause for excessive bone loss and bone fragility.\u201d Read on for these osteoporosis causesTable of ContentsToggle     2 Minutes ReadHow about 125 different osteoporosis causes?What this tells us about treatment for osteoporosisHow about 125 different osteoporosis causes? That\u2019s the number of secondary causes of osteoporosis \u2014 in addition to low vitamin D \u2014 researchers found in a recent study of patients who had already experienced low-trauma or fragility fractures.Here\u2019s a summary of the findings from the study, which focused on secondary causes:\u2022 Study participants were 399 patients who had sustained fractures suspected to be due to osteoporosis.\u2022 54% of the patients were vitamin D insufficient or deficient.\u2022 Nearly 33% had a secondary cause of osteoporosis other than lower than optimal levels of vitamin D.\u2022 The 98 patients with acceptable vitamin D levels suffered from a combined total of 125 different secondary causes with the most common including medication use, smoking, excessive alcohol use, premature ovarian failure, kidney impairment, gastrointestinal conditions and endocrine conditions.Of course, we know that there are many more secondary causes such as nutritional factors (including a high-acid diet) and lifestyle factors (lack of exercise or too much worry). You can see more details in my article Rethinking \u201cprimary\u201d osteoporosis.What this tells us about treatment for osteoporosis Rather than simply reminding us that there\u2019s always a cause for excessive bone loss and bone fragility, researchers also used their study as an opportunity to declare how investigating the cause of secondary osteoporosis can \u201cinform and influence specific treatment regimen.\u201d I couldn\u2019t agree more! Over and over, my work has shown that all osteoporosis is caused by something \u2014 it doesn\u2019t just happen. And it\u2019s my job to help each of you as individuals consider what could be putting you at risk, and how you can take steps to deal with these risks. You can find more in The Better Bones Revolution Manifesto, including truth #5: “Treating the root cause of sub-optimal bone health offers the greatest opportunity for creating life-long healthy bones.” Reference: Bogoch, E., et al. 2012. Secondary Causes of Osteoporosis in Fracture Patients. J Orthop Trauma, 26 (9) e145-e152. To build bone through movement, explore the Better Bones Exercise for Osteoporosis program."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Osteoporosis","item":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/osteoporosis\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"125 secondary causes (and more) for osteoporosis","item":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/osteoporosis\/osteoporosis-causes\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]