The material composition of bones
Bones are composed of inorganic and organic substances. Inorganic substances are mainly calcium salts, and calcium phosphate is the most abundant among calcium salts, followed by calcium carbonate, and calcium chloride and calcium fluoride are rare.
Inorganic substances make bones strong, accounting for two-thirds in adults. Organic substances are mainly osteopontin, which makes bones elastic, accounting for about one-third in adults.
Why are older people more likely to have fractures
After the bones are formed, the various components that make up the bones continue to metabolize, and the proportion of various calcium salts also changes with age.
The inorganic substances in the bones of the elderly begin to increase, and calcium carbonate increases greatly, while calcium phosphate decreases.
The proportion of elastic organic substances gradually decreases, so their bones become hard and brittle and easy to break.