If someone didn't reach their peak bone mass during their critical bone-building
years, they are much more likely to develop osteoporosis. Recall the following
analogy:
The skeleton
is like a retirement account, but in our skeletal "account" we can deposit
bone only during our first three decades. After that, all we can do is
try to postpone and minimize the steady withdrawals. Osteoporosis is the
bankruptcy that occurs when too little bone is formed during youth, or
too much is lost later, or both.
The following
statements are FALSE because:
Osteoclasts
(not osteoblasts) consume old and worn bone, and osteoblasts (not
osteoclasts) manufacture new bone tissue.
During
childhood and adolescence, new bone is deposited (not resorbed)
faster than old bone is resorbed (not deposited). Consequently,
bones will become larger, heavier and denser during this time period.
A
person's peak bone mass (maximum bone density and strength) is reached
in their 20's, not their 40's.
