It's not well-known, but osteoporosis, the bone-thinning disease that causes fractures in older people, affects men as well as women. And physicians think that not enough men are being screened for the disease.

Everyone's bones get thinner as they age. Our bodies break down old bone and replace it with newer bone cells. As we get older, the rate at which our bodies make new bone cells slows. So more bone gets broken down and less is made.

This happens faster in women around the time of menopause because of hormonal changes. And women often start off with thinner, lighter bones than men anyway. So, older women are most likely to get broken bones because of osteoporosis.

But we are all living longer now and more men are getting osteoporosis: the disease now affects 7% of white men, 5% of African-American men and 3% of Hispanic men. New guidelines from the American College of Physicians say that the disease is often underdiagnosed and undertreated in men. They also encourage men over the age of 65 to be regularly checked by their physicians to see if they are at risk.

Men's risk of osteoporosis could be increased by: