[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/osteopenia\/osteopenia-5-steps-stronger-bones\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/osteopenia\/osteopenia-5-steps-stronger-bones\/","headline":"Can I reverse osteopenia? 5 natural steps for stronger bones","name":"Can I reverse osteopenia? 5 natural steps for stronger bones","description":"Print PDF eBook Facebook Twitter Gmail LinkedIn Pinterest If you\u2019re among the millions of people who\u2019ve been told they have osteopenia, I know it can be confusing and scary. But you\u2019ve come to the right place. I am frequently asked Can I reverse osteopenia and what should I do? I always start with this: Osteopenia […]","datePublished":"2020-01-23","dateModified":"2026-04-22","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/author\/brownbetterbonesgmail-com\/#Person","name":"Dr. Susan E. Brown, PhD","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/author\/brownbetterbonesgmail-com\/","identifier":72,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e08d87bd45250c6616e1752933a6576aba077f335d97ee337a0cde5e435cbd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e08d87bd45250c6616e1752933a6576aba077f335d97ee337a0cde5e435cbd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Center for Better Bones","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Better-Bones-AMP.png","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Better-Bones-AMP.png","width":150,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Can-I-reverse-osteopenia-BB-Blog-1-20-2.jpg","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Can-I-reverse-osteopenia-BB-Blog-1-20-2.jpg","height":1256,"width":2400},"url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/osteopenia\/osteopenia-5-steps-stronger-bones\/","about":["Osteopenia"],"wordCount":772,"keywords":["osteopenia"],"articleBody":" Print PDF eBook\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFacebook\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTwitter\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGmail\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLinkedIn\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPinterest\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIf you\u2019re among the millions of people who\u2019ve been told they have osteopenia, I know it can be confusing and scary. But you\u2019ve come to the right place. I am frequently asked Can I reverse osteopenia and what should I do?I always start with this:Osteopenia does not mean you will always suffer from osteoporosis or a fracture. Osteopenia means that your bone density measurement is less, but not excessively less, than a woman who is 30 years old. And what that really signifies for you will depend on your individual body type, lifestyle, history and many factors you can take control of right now.5 natural steps to build stronger bonesHere\u2019s what you can do to make sure your bones are getting everything they need to stay strong.1.\u00a0Get the correct\u00a0amount of key bone building nutrients.Eat a wholesome alkaline diet and try high quality nutritional supplementation. Be sure the supplements you use are designed to alkalize so they spare both bone and muscle.Make sure your mineral intake is adequate. This can be easily done by measuring your first morning urine pH. A first morning urine pH reading of 6.5\u00a0to 7.5 suggests you\u2019re obtaining adequate minerals from your diet and supplements.Test your vitamin D level and supplement with enough to reach a 50 to 60 ng blood level all year round.2.\u00a0Build muscle strength. Chronically low muscle mass is associated with low bone mass. Even stronger grip strength and stronger back muscles are associated with higher bone density. If you have been told you have osteopenia in the hip, try to walk more, hop, do heel drops, and jump if you can. All provide bone-stimulating impact to the hip. Also consider using a weighted vest when walking. It makes each step deliver a greater bone stimulating impact to hip.3.\u00a0Avoid bone depleting anti-nutrients. The list is long so you might have to pick away at bone depleting anti-nutrients\u00a0little by little. High on the list are excessive alcohol (more than two drinks a day), smoking, colas, excessive caffeine, and high sugar intake. Many drugs and medications damage bone and the list seems to expand daily. Steroid drugs such as prednisone rank as the top drug bone-busters, causing roughly 20% of all osteoporosis in the U.S.4.\u00a0Eat enough wholesome food daily. The body is one single unit; if you lose weight you lose bone. The bone weakening from weight loss before menopause is more easily compensated for than that from weight loss after menopause. Make sure you get between 50 and 80 grams of protein daily, depending on your physical activity level.5.\u00a0If needed, work with your doctor to see if there\u2019s any medical cause for osteopenia. If you have ongoing excessive bone loss as measured either by sequential bone density testing or by a bone breakdown marker test such as the NTx , or if you have experienced a low-trauma fracture, steps should be taken to detect hidden causes of this bone loss. My Medical Osteoporosis Workup details the most common tests used to detect hidden secondary causes of bone loss. You might share this document with your health practitioner and see which tests they will do looking for your hidden causes of bone loss.As you can see, you aren\u2019t powerless when it comes to building stronger bones \u2014 even if you\u2019ve been diagnosed with osteopenia. Consider this a window of opportunity to make some nutritional and lifestyle changes. My Better Bones Builder Program is a great place to start, because it puts everything together for you.Learn More: Take a Look at my free online course 9 Facts Your Doctor Never Told You About Osteopenia & What To Do About It!Read more:\u00a0 What does osteopenia really mean?See why osteopenia doesn\u2019t always mean you\u2019ll suffer from osteoporosis or fracture \u2014 or that you will need a bone drug.[av_toggle_container initial=’0′ mode=’accordion’ sort=” styling=” colors=” font_color=” background_color=” border_color=” av_uid=’av-1186mnkjl’ custom_class=”][av_toggle title=’References’ tags=” av_uid=’av-g19or3k1′]ReferencesAlonso-Coello, P et al.\u00a02008. Drugs for pre-osteoporosis: Prevention or disease mongering? BMJ 336:126. \u00a0DOI: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/bmj.39435.656250.ADLooker, AC et al. 2010. Prevalence and trends in low femur bone density among older U.S. adults: NHANES 2005\u20132006 compared with NHANES 111. J Bone Miner Res \u00a025 (1):64\u201371.Petersen, BA et al. 2017. Low load, high repetition resistance training program increases bone mineral density in untrained adults. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 57(1\u20132):70\u201376.[\/av_toggle][\/av_toggle_container]For the full picture on natural options, visit our guide to bone density rebuilding program."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Osteopenia","item":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/osteopenia\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Can I reverse osteopenia? 5 natural steps for stronger bones","item":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/osteopenia\/osteopenia-5-steps-stronger-bones\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]