Osteoporosis has become one of the major public health problems, affecting about two hundred million people worldwide, including one third of all postmenopausal women. The paper presents a review of the current literature concerning the pathophysiology and the most common genetic and environmental determinants that account for the individual predisposition to age-related osteoporosis. Particular emphasis is placed on the specific linkage between the causative factors of osteoporosis and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.