Men and women reach their peak bone mass in their late 20's.

Peak bone mass is influenced by a variety of genetic and environmental factors.

Osteoporosis is defined as more than 2.5 standard deviations below peak bone mass.

Around age 30, your bones reach their maximum strength and density, known as peak bone mass.

Gender: Peak bone mass tends to be higher in men than in women.

As a result, your bones become larger and heavier until about age 30 when you reach peak bone mass (density).

Hormonal factors: The hormone estrogen has an effect on peak bone mass.

Most people continue to build bone faster than they lose it until about age 30, a point that's known as "peak bone mass."

Women achieve peak bone mass by 30, then lose bone slowly until 50, or whenever they start menopause.

"Studies indicate that four to five servings a day of calcium-rich foods are needed to optimize peak bone mass during adolescence."

"Vitamin D insufficiency may lead to both low peak bone mass and high bone loss," the researchers write.

Soy intake and the maintenance of peak bone mass in Hong Kong Chinese women.

"These women are not consuming any dairy products, and they probably won't achieve peak bone mass," Dr. Anderson said.

Although most of the bone density may return during puberty, children with juvenile osteoporosis usually have lower peak bone mass as adults.

Those who fail to achieve an adequate peak bone mass before adulthood are far more likely to develop osteoporosis (severely weakened bones) later in life.

Use after peak bone mass is associated with increased bone turnover but no decrease in bone mineral density.

Normal: A value for BMD statistically within 1 standard deviation of the young adult peak bone mass.

Race: For reasons still not known, African American females tend to achieve higher peak bone mass than Caucasian females.

Some have identified low protein intake as associated with lower peak bone mass during adolescence and lower bone mineral density in elderly populations.

Weight bearing exercise can increase peak bone mass achieved in adolescence, and a highly significant correlation between bone strength and muscle strength has been determined.

Given the knowledge that high peak bone density reduces osteoporosis risk later in life, it makes sense to pay more attention to those factors that affect peak bone mass.

Calcium deficiencies in young people can account for a 5 to 10 percent difference in peak bone mass and can increase the risk for hip fracture later in life.

A recent consensus conference on osteoporosis at the National Institutes of Health has elevated the importance of building peak bone mass to the level of preventing bone loss.

One of the best lines of defense is your diet - eating the right foods can give you the maximum peak bone mass and boost your bone density at any age.

Anorexia nervosa can have serious implications if its duration and severity are significant and if onset occurs before the completion of growth, pubertal maturation or prior to attaining peak bone mass.