Explain how estrogen levels can put women at risk for developing osteoporosis. Explain the role of estrogen in bone health. Explain how the age of a woman influences estrogen levels.

Explain how physical inactivity puts men and women at risk for developing osteoporosis. Identify five specific types of exercises that help improve bone health. Explain how these exercises improve bone health.

Explain how you can reduce your own risk for developing osteoporosis.

Estrogen levels can put women at risks for developing osteoporosis by how Women tend to have smaller, thinner bones than men. Estrogen, a hormone in women that protects bones, decreases sharply when women reach menopause, which can cause bone loss. This is why the chance of developing osteoporosis increases as women reach menopause.

The role of estrogen in bone health is as follows, Estrogen has three fundamental effects on bone metabolism: It inhibits the activation of bone remodeling and the initiation of new basic multicellular units (BMUs); It inhibits differentiation and promotes apoptosis of osteoclasts, therefore bone resorption reduces and  principally by directs effects on osteoclasts, although effects of estrogen on osteoblast/osteocyte and T-cell regulation of osteoclasts likely also play a role.

Physical inactivity puts men and women at risk for developing osteoporosis by risk of getting osteoporosis which  increases with age as bones naturally become thinner. After age 30, the rate at which your bone tissue dissolves and is absorbed by the body slowly increases, while the rate of bone building decreases. So overall you lose a small amount of bone each year after age 30.

In women, bone loss is more rapid and usually begins after monthly menstrual periods stop, when a woman's production of the hormone estrogen slows down (usually between the ages of 45 and 55). A man's bone thinning typically starts to develop gradually when his production of the hormone testosterone slows down, at about 45 to 50 years of age. Women typically have smaller and lighter bones than men. As a result, women develop osteoporosis far more often than men. Osteoporosis usually does not have a noticeable effect on people until they are 60 or older.

Whether a person develops osteoporosis depends on the thickness of the bones (bone density) in early life, as well as health, diet, and physical activity later in life. Factors that increase the risk for osteoporosis in both men and women include:

• Having a family history of osteoporosis. If your mother, father, or a sibling has been diagnosed with osteoporosis or has experienced broken bones from a minor injury, you are more likely to develop osteoporosis.
• Lifestyle factors. These include:
• Smoking. People who smoke lose bone density faster than nonsmokers.
• Alcohol use. Heavy alcohol use can decrease bone formation, and it increases the risk of falling. Heavy alcohol use is more than 2 drinks a day for men and more than 1 drink a day for women. See pictures of standard alcoholic drinks.
• Getting little or no exercise. Weight-bearing exercises—such as walking, jogging, stair climbing, dancing, or lifting weights—keep bones strong and healthy by working the muscles and bones against gravity. Exercise may improve your balance and decrease your risk of falling.
• Being small-framed or thin. Thin people and those with small frames are more likely to develop osteoporosis. But being overweight puts women at risk for other serious medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and coronary artery disease (CAD). For more information, see the topic Weight Management.
• A diet low in foods containing calcium and vitamin D.
• Having certain medical conditions. Some medical conditions, such as hyperthyroidism or hyperparathyroidism, put you at greater risk for osteoporosis.
• Taking certain medicines. Several medicines, such as corticosteroids used for long periods, cause bone thinning.
• Having certain surgeries, such as having your ovaries removed before menopause.

Other risk factors for osteoporosis may include:

• Being of European and Asian ancestry, the people most likely to have osteoporosis.
• Being inactive or bedridden for long periods of time.
• Excessive dieting or having an eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa.
• Being a female athlete, if you have infrequent menstrual cycles due to low body fat.

Women who have completed menopause have the greatest risk for osteoporosis because their levels of the estrogen hormone drop. Estrogen protects women from bone loss. Likewise, women who no longer have menstrual periods—either because their ovaries are not working properly or because their ovaries have been surgically removed—also can have lower estrogen level

The age of a woman influences estrogen level in that, the natural menopause transition is not associated with objective changes in episodic memory. Strong clinical trial evidence indicates that initiating estrogen-containing hormone therapy after about age 60 years does not benefit episodic memory. Clinical trial findings in middle-age women before age 60 are limited by smaller sample sizes and shorter treatment durations, but these also do not indicate substantial memory effects. Limited short-term evidence, however, suggests that estrogens may improve verbal memory after surgical menopause. Although hormone therapy initiation in old age increases dementia risk, observational studies raise the question of an early critical window during which midlife estrogen therapy reduces late-life Alzheimer's disease. However, almost no data address whether midlife estrogen therapy affects episodic memory in old age.

The specific types of exercises that help improve bone health include weight-bearing and resistance exercises are the best for your bones. Weight-bearing exercises force you to work against gravity. They include walking, hiking, jogging, climbing stairs, playing tennis, and dancing. Resistance exercises - such as lifting weights - can also strengthen bones. Other exercises such as swimming and bicycling can help build and maintain strong muscles and have excellent cardiovascular benefits, but they are not the best way to exercise your bones.

These exercises improve bone health through the muscles ,because the bone is a living tissue that responds to exercise by becoming stronger. Young women and men who exercise regularly generally achieve greater peak bone mass (maximum bone density and strength) than those who do not. For most people, bone mass peaks during the third decade of life. After that time, we can begin to lose bone. Women and men older than age 20 can help prevent bone loss with regular exercise. Exercising can also help us maintain muscle strength, coordination, and balance, which in turn helps to prevent falls and related fractures. This is especially important for older adults and people who have been diagnosed with osteoporosis.

one can reduce risk for developing osteoporosis through the following:

• having a healthy and varied diet with plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains.
• eating calcium-rich foods.
• absorbing enough vitamin D.
• avoid smoking.
• limiting alcohol consumption.
• limiting caffeine.