When you suffer from osteoporosis, your bones such as hip, spine, and wrist break easily. A number of studies show the unfavorable relationship between smoking and loss of bone density or osteoporosis. Could there be other risk factors among smokers that cause diminished bone density? Yes. For example, most smokers eat poorly and exercise little which make them thinner than non smokers.



At Gothenburg University, 1,000 men between the age group of 18 and 20 participated in a research on osteoporosis. The study, which uses CAT scan, recorded lower bone mass in the spine, hip, and body as a whole in smokers compared to non smokers. It also demonstrated that the hip sustained the most devastating effect of smoking. Smokers lost mineral density over 5 percent more than non smokers. That is why smokers are more prone to suffer from fractures.

British Medical Journal states that early menopause among smokers accelerates bone loss during post menopause. Smokers lose an extra 0.2 percent of bone mass each year during post menopause. The effects of smoking on bones can be cumulative. By age 80, smokers stand to lose 6 percent of bone density. However, the British Medical Journal also reports that both smokers aged 80 years and non-smokers aged 81.5 years have similar bone density. So, earlier menopause has little impact on bone loss in old age. During menopause, smoking hastens bone loss in women by rapid reduction of estrogen, a bone protective hormone.

Vertebral fractures show evidence of osteoporosis. A study by the Center for Bone Research in Sweden brings to our attention the fact that incidences of vertebral fractures seem to double among male smokers in their old age.

If you recently underwent a spinal fusion to unite bone parts of the spine, your smoking may disrupt the healing process. A study shows that smokers who have fusion of the neck experienced up to 47 percent of failed fusion. The risk of osteoporosis fall upon smokers who smoke more than five years with a minimum of one pack of cigarettes a day.

All evidences point to the negative impact of smoking on bones. Whether you smoke or inhale second hand smoke, you expose your bones to the damaging effects of tobacco smoke. With all these facts, you may consider quitting smoking.