Women are frequently warned about the risks of osteoporosis, but men should also consider screening as they age, especially if they have celiac disease or other risk factors, according to Dr. Oz.

The celebrity physician wrote an article with fellow “You Doc” Michael Roizen, MD, for The Province that outlined reasons why men should get an osteoporosis test. Among the risk factors that make screening urgent rather than “optional,” the doctors listed smoking, certain medications and celiac disease. Screening is even more important in men 60 and older, they said.

 While osteoporosis is often thought of as a “woman’s disease,” nearly half of men have bone loss, the doctors noted.

National Foundation for Celiac Awareness Founder and President Alice Bast recently wrote about the need for preventive health screenings. Read “Note from Alice: The Year of You” in the January 2011 Celiac Central newsletter.