The aim of this study was to assess variation in bone mass from childhood through later age and to examine bone health status of Indian males and females. Lumbar spine (LS) bone mineral content (BMC) was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry of lumbar vertebrae (L1-L4) in 683 males and 858 females (5-70 years) from Pune, India and apparent bone mineral density (BMAD) was calculated. A cubic regression model was fitted to describe the change in bone mineral content (BMC) with age in males and females separately. Regression analysis revealed that peak LS BMC was achieved around 26 years (63.6 +/- 11.0 g) for males and 30 years (54.1 +/- 11.6 g) for females. After 50 years of age, BMC showed an average annual decrease of 2.7% in males and 4.1% in females. Males had 11-15% higher mean BMAD than females after 50 years of age. T scores of 19% males and 28% females above 50 years, were less than -2.5 and T scores of 36% males and 43% females were between -1.0 and -2.5 when compared with the Lunar reference database. Low peak bone mass at a young age and higher bone loss in adults are alarming features of apparently healthy Indians.