Surgeon General’s Report Predicts Osteoporosis Will Affect Half of the U.S. Population over 50 by 2020

The U.S. Surgeon General, Richard Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., issued a report which estimates that one in two Americans over the age of 50 will be at risk of suffering bone fractures due to osteoporosis and low bone mass by the year 2020. The report, “Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General,” claims that 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, and another 34 million risk developing it. Approximately 1.5 million people suffer a fracture each year because of it.

The report labels osteoporosis as a “silent” condition because many Americans are unaware that they are in jeopardy of suffering from it. In fact, one of the most dangerous myths is that osteoporosis is a disease that mostly afflicts women, thus making it a “grandmother’s disease.”

The report also makes some recommendations to decrease the likelihood of contracting osteoporosis, including maintaining a healthy weight and participating in physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day for adults (60 minutes a day for children).

The Surgeon General has also published a booklet on how to improve bone health. Please visit www.surgeongeneral.gov for more information.