# Lifestyle and bone

By [Mason](https://paragraph.com/@akhavan) · 2022-06-16

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Low bone mass in young adulthood is associated with a higher risk of developing osteoporosis and osteoporosis-related fractures in later life (1, 2). Bone is accrued rapidly during the adolescent years, with peak bone mass (PBM) occurring between ages 20 to 30 years. So, there is a considerable opportunity to optimize bone accretion in early-stage development. This may be particularly important for women at a greater risk of low bone mass and osteoporosis-related fracture in later life(1). Bone mass and structure are often assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT); however, these methods are not commonly used in healthy women due to resource allocation issues and the risk of radiation. Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) provides an alternative to radiation-based bone assessment. QUS is a low-cost, effective, and non-invasive method of estimating bone status. There are different factors associated with bone health, accumulation, and loss of bone mineral density (BMD) in bone tissue. Some of these factors are considered non-modifiable, such as genetics, ethnicity, and chronic diseases, whereas others are considered modifiable, such as lifestyle behaviors (e.g., physical activity, nutrition, consumption of alcohol, and contraceptive use).

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*Originally published on [Mason](https://paragraph.com/@akhavan/lifestyle-and-bone)*