One out of 3 Jordanian women over the age of 50 have osteoporosis, according to a study by the Jordanian Osteoporosis Prevention Society (JOPS). Representative of the society Dr. Basil Al Masri said the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) will hold a conference in Dubai next October to reveal details on the first international study on osteoporosis and will hold another conference in Jordan in October 2012. According to Dr. Masri 8,000 osteoporosis-related fractures occur in the world every hour. Dr. Masri made the remarks at a ceremony organized by JOPS in Amman yesterday. Osteoporosis occurs when the body fails to form enough new bone, when too much old bone is reabsorbed by the body, or both. Calcium and phosphate are two minerals that are essential for normal bone formation. Throughout youth, the body uses these minerals to produce bones. If it does not get enough calcium, or if it does not absorb enough calcium from the diet, bone production and bone tissues may suffer. The leading causes of osteoporosis are a drop in estrogen in women at the time of menopause and a drop in testosterone in men. Women over age 50 and men over age 70 have a higher risk for osteoporosis.