No bones about it, osteoporosis is a major health risk for millions of Americans. Around 10 million people ages 50 and older — 8 million women and 2 million men — suffer from the brittle bone condition. And a whopping 43 million (including 16 million men) have low bone mass, putting them at risk for it.  

Osteoporosis often causes hip and spine fractures or breaks, which can lead to immobility and increased risk of death within a year of the injury. A 2019 study found that after a hip fracture is repaired, the one-year mortality rate is 19%; if left unrepaired, it goes up to about 70%. 

So you clearly want to take smart steps to prevent pre-osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures.

That involves strength training exercises and a diet of bone-loving foods such as dark green leafy vegetables, fish such as salmon, soy products, nuts, nonfat dairy, beans, and dried apricots.

You can also practice balance exercises or take a "learn to fall" class.

But there's one more effective step: Take a statin.

These heart-protecting medications, already used by 92 million U.S. adults, reduce the risk of fracture in people ages 60 and older. Over an eight-year period of tracking around 21,000 statin users and 345,000 non-users, researchers found that only 7.9% of statin takers developed major fractures, while 15.5% of the folks who weren't taking statins did.

Statins have wide-ranging benefits such as reducing inflammation and lowering LDL cholesterol, and few downsides.

If you're at risk for osteoporosis, ask your doctor about starting a statin even if your cardiovascular system is healthy.