In Hollywood you play a mom and instantly you've got osteoporosis.

Last year I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. I was over 50 Caucasian thin small-framed and I have it in my genetic history. It was almost a slam-dunk.

Intervention for the prevention and control of osteoporosis should comprise a combination of legislative action educational measures health service activities media coverage and individual counselling to initiate changes in behaviour.

I have seen doctors in good faith leave patients on steroids for years thinking they are doing right. A friend of mine was on steroids for so long she has severe osteoporosis.

Such lifestyle factors such as cigarette smoking excessive alcohol consumption little physical activity and low dietary calcium intake are risk factors for osteoporosis as well as for many other non-communicable diseases.

Today osteoporosis affects more than 75 million people in the United States Europe and Japan and causes more than 2.3 million fractures in the USA and Europe alone.