When people reach middle and old age, they tend to suffer from osteoporosis and worry that they will become “bone crunchy” when they fall down and break bones. So, is the harder the bones the better? When it comes to bone hardness, we have to mention a term – bone salt. So what is bone salt? What is the relationship between bone salt and human bone health? Here I’ll talk with you about it. 1. What is bone salt? Answer: Bone salt, also known as inorganic salt, is one of the three major components of bone (the remaining two are bone cells and organic matrix). Bone salt determines the hardness of bone, organic matrix determines the shape and toughness of bone, and bone cells are involved in bone metabolism. Is the amount of bone salt in the human body constant? Answer: NO, the composition of bone changes with age. In young children, the proportion of organic matrix in the bone is high while the proportion of inorganic salts is low, and the hardness of the bone is low while the toughness is high, so the bone is easy to fold but not break, such as a green branch fracture. As the proportion of inorganic salts gradually increases with age, the proportion of organic matrix decreases, and adults reach the optimal ratio, when the hardness and toughness of bone are the best; the proportion of inorganic salts in the bones of the elderly is higher than that of organic matrix, resulting in an increase in the brittleness of bone and an increase in the chance of fracture under the same conditions. Therefore, the amount of bone salt is not constant throughout a person’s life, the higher the amount of bone salt, the greater the hardness of the bone, but does not mean that the healthier the bone, only when the optimal ratio of various components in the bone is the healthiest. Some friends are worried about their high bone salt level, do they need to deal with it? In fact, as long as there are no other symptoms, there is no need for special treatment. It is enough to pay attention to a reasonable and balanced diet, moderate physical exercise and regular review. Can I measure my bone salt level? Answer: Yes, of course. Commonly used bone salt measurement methods include: single photon absorption method, two-photon absorption method, CT quantitative analysis, dual-energy X-ray absorption method, X-ray optical density method, in addition to neutron activity analysis, Kepton scattering method, ultrasound measurement, etc. The single-photon absorption method and X-ray optical density method are commonly used in China. Bone salt measurement can screen out people at high risk of fracture for prevention and treatment.