This is the first book to document comprehensively the 'state of the art' in the lifecourse epidemiology of osteoporosis. In detailed chapters, expert contributors describe the current and projected future burden of disease, developments in the understanding of risk factors for osteoporosis from cradle to grave, the underlying mechanisms, and advances in approaches to risk assessment and treatment. It is essential reading for all students on postgraduate courses in bone health, as well as an important reference for practitioners and researchers in osteoporosis, epidemiology, and related fields.

Preface. Authors. Contributors. The burden of osteoporosis. DOHaD: The concept, its implications and applications. Early growth, bone development and risk of adult fracture. Maternal nutrition, lifestyle and anthropometry during pregnancy, and offspring bone development. Vitamin D in early life: From observation to intervention. Nutrition and bone health during childhood and adolescence: A global perspective. Developmental plasticity, epigenetic mechanisms and early life influences on adult health and disease: Fundamental concepts. Epigenetic mechanisms in bone development. The material and structural basis of the growth-related gain and age-related loss of bone strength. Risk factors for post peak bone mass bone loss and osteoporotic fracture: Lessons from population studies. Risk factors for post peak bone loss and osteoporotic fracture: Lessons from novel imaging studies. Assessment of fracture risk. Therapeutic approaches to bone protection in adulthood. A lifecourse perspective on bone health and disease: Scientific and social implications. Epilogue. Index.