Did you know that Asian American women are at high risk for developing osteoporosis? Statistics actually show that Asian women in the United States have many of the same risk factors as Caucasian women. If you are Asian American woman, it is important that you understand what osteoporosis is and the steps you should take to prevent or treat it.

Following are some of the issues that are causing a rise in the number of Asian women being diagnosed with osteoporosis:

Asian women have been found to consume less calcium. This is mostly due to the fact that up to 90% of Asian American women are lactose intolerant and avoid using dairy products that contain calcium. As you may know, calcium is essential for maintaining a healthy skeleton.

Asian women generally have lower hip fracture rates than Caucasian women. Even so, Asian women seem to have as high a rate of incident of vertebrae fractures as Caucasian women.

Additionally, slender women have less bone mass and are a greater risk for bone fractures related to osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease brought on by low bone mass. It causes bones to be vulnerable to fractures. If you don't take steps to prevent osteoporosis, or you have it and don't get treatment, it can progress painlessly until a bone breaks which will most likely be in your hip, spine, or wrist. Spinal fractures are the reason why you see some older women with that ?hunched? appearance. Those fractures can also result in a loss of height, in addition to chronic pain.

Some of the issues that could increase your chance of developing osteoporosis are:

* Caucasian and Asian ancestry

* Having a thin, small-boned body frame

* Previous fractures or a family history of fractures resulting from osteoporosis

* An estrogen deficiency resulting from:

* early menopause due to natural circumstances

* early menopause resulting from surgical removal of the ovaries

* as a result of prolonged amenorrhea

* Aging

* A diet low in calcium

* Smoking

* Excessive alcohol consumption

* Extensive use of certain medications

Even if one or some of these conditions apply to you, you can still take steps to prevent it from happening to you. The best defense is to take care to keep you bones strong, especially before the age of 20. Eat a well-balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D and exercise regularly ? walking, jogging, dancing and lifting weights are a few of the better routines. Don't smoke and limit your intake of alcohol. Talk to your doctor, especially if you have a family history of osteoporosis because there are painless testing methods and medications to treat it.