Heredity is a factor in osteoporosis. Studies have shown that genetics is a factor in developing osteoporosis. If a person has a parent or grandparent with the disease there is an increased risk they could develop the disease as well.
Petite and thin women have a greater risk of developing osteoporosis because they have less bone mass than women with more body weight and larger skeletal frames. Men with small skeletal frames are at greater risk than men with larger skeletal frames and more body weight.
