vitacost.com has a product called bone builder which contains a lot of the stuff you need to take.

Also, be aware that the body can only absorb so much calcium at one time, so to be effective, you should split your calcium supplement into 2 doses instead of just one. Latest recommendation from Harvard is to keep total calcium intake below 2500 mg per day to avoid issues from excess calcium.

Another really important aid to bone strength is weight bearing exercise...walking is good, but weight bearing is even better.

Just an FYI,
Weight bearing exercise simply means an activity in which your legs and feet bear the weight of your body. So walking is an excellent exercise for your bones,and so is running,if you are able. Swimming and biking, while excellent exercise are not weight bearing.

Weight lifting, puts stress on the bones and is also good for your bone health and combining weight bearing exercise and weight lifting is ideal.

So you can just walk and help keep your bones healthy! This according to my GYN and orthopedists.

It was said on the news not long ago that supplements don't really help for strong bones. Who knows? "They" change their minds weekly. lol

I don't take supplements except for a daily vitamin, but I do go out of my way to sit in the sun for about 15 min. a day to get Vit. D which helps the body absorb Calcium.

Unless you eat a ton of fish most people don't get enough Vit. D.

I also drink a big glass of milk daily. If you're already having a problem or Osteoporosis runs in the family, I think all you need is a bit of sunshine and plenty of dairy products. Easy peasy!

Vitamin K2--google it--very interesting--moves the calcium to where your body needs it.

The latest research I have seen suggests not taking calcium but taking D3 and K2 and magnesium. I guess they are assuming most people get plenty of calcium through diet. Female hormones are also important to the bone building process so if you are perimenopausal or fairly new to menopause, you might look into bioidentical hormones -- hormone replacement is a controversial thing but it has been proven to help osteoporosis. If you investigate the hormone route, definitely make sure you are considering bioidentical stuff though (estradiol and progesterone) - not permarin or the synthetic progesterones -- IMO, those are not good for anyone! And I would NOT take any of those bone building drugs like fosamax or boniva -- the side effects from those including things like jawbone necrosis and random shattering of your femur. Not worth the risk IMO.

How much vitamin d and vitamin k do you take? I am a super duper healthy eater but vitamin k2 you can't get enough from food. There is also a lot of talk about MK7 vs MK4. I also would not take the biophosphate drugs like fosamax. I would try the natural route first. Weight bearing exercise--very important. I have not had a soda in like 6 years.

busybee3, I was just like you. In childhood years and adulthood years, drank lots of milk, ate lots of cheese, including cottage cheese, etc. Ate all kinds veggies extremely good for the body. No one in my family had osteoporosis. Despite diet and heredity, I developed severe osteoporosis. Was a shock to me and my doctor. Supplements ended up not cutting it, broke 6 different bones in my back at 6 different times - no mishaps just broke bones due to the severity of my osteoporosis. Now I take Prolia injections twice a year.

My point is diet and genes seem to not make a difference in developing this disease.

hi walnutcreek! altho, heredity definitely plays a factor in who gets osteoporosis, risk factors are just that- risk factors... there are no guarantees when it comes to health!! i have a lower risk of developing it because there is no significant family hx in my family, i have a larger skeletal frame, i am active, etc. but, that doesn't assure me that i will not get/do not have osteoporosis!

I have osteoporosis. I have just about every risk factor for it also: small boned, thin, N. European ancestry, thyroid disease, early menopause, and my mother is osteopenia. I always drank milk growing up and still do and also eats lots of dairy. I am active and do Pilates 3 times a week.

No matter how many supplements I took my scans did not improve until I started HRT and Actonel. I had an ulcer so decided to stop the Actonel even thought the GI Dr. said they did not think that was the cause. I was off for a year and my scans slipped a bit.

I started seeing a highly regarded osteoporosis research/doctor at the University of Pittsburgh. She started me on annual Reclast infusions and I have had 2 infusions. I have read the potential side affects and questioned her extensively about them. I hope I made the right decision and I have had no problems with the medicine so far.

I know women in their 50's that have broken bones and have had issues healing. That is my biggest fear because once you are out of commission for a few weeks/ months due to broken bones sometimes you never get back to your old in-shape self.

If diet alone works that is awesome but for me diet and supplements just don't cut it. I do take D3 but calcium supplements make me sick and my Dr. said calcium supplements don't really help much anyway and may be harmful.

I'm at risk for it. Lacto ovo vegetarians who don't smoke or drink soda pop and caffeine have better bones, but this is just association, not causality. I know because they do research on Seventh Day Adventists and my mom was one. Exercise definitely helps too. Soy is controversial. I take a lowered dose of calcium, vit. c, magnesium and vit d3. I used to take a higher dose but cut down. It helps me sleep. I take it at night, because I sometimes take iron in the AM for best absorption and iron blocks calcium, or maybe it is the other way around, but not good to take them together. I exercise some and try to eat right. I do the best I can but I am probably just doing a middling job. But to me, better than nothing and something excessive may not have better results. Taking a lot of vitamins can just be money down the drain. If it gets bad I will have to try other drugs.

I did read though however that you must have protein to build bone. Just hte right amount--too much causes bone loss--too little causes bone loss. How you hit this magical amount of protein is--not too sure.

If you are a lacto ovo vegetarian who eats tvp as well, as are most Adventists, then there is no reason to worry about not getting enough protein. Most Americans get more than enough, although if your diet was very unbalanced I guess you could be deficient. In most sane people who eat a reasonable diet, protein deficiency is not a thing.

I think it was divide your weight by two and that is the amount of protein you need. I also find the debate about what proteins to count interesting--do you count the proteins from vegetables? I use a nutrition site online that tells you how complete a protein is and also the GI number.

I believe it is a myth that too much protein intake causes bone loss - this summarizes the point: Gabe Mirkin, M.D.:
Studies done many years ago suggested that eating a lot of protein
increases calcium loss in the urine and therefore it was thought that
eating protein weakens bones by taking calcium out of them. However,
recent studies show that eating protein increases calcium absorption so
the extra calcium in the urine comes from increased absorption, not from
being take out of bones. Reports in the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition (Volume 78, Issue 3, 2003) show that eating plenty of protein
and lots of foods from plants helps to keep bones strong. Most
scientists now feel that a very low-protein diet can cause osteoporosis,
while a moderately high-protein diet may help to prevent it.

Just checking in to see if any of you have any updates on your experiences, including with Prolia and Reclast, or any other suggestions. Anyone's DEXAs improving? Two years after osteoporosis diagnosis and still debating...

I take Life Extension brand "Bone Restore with K2 which you can find on their website.

Graywigs123: All your info is the same that I gathered. Many studies have been done that show eating 6 prunes a day also helps with maintaining bone density. Also: mild weight lifting is excellent❣️I do daily step aerobics for an hour with hand held weights; and squats with 10 pounds; and take hour walks at least 3x a week. I am on the thin side, and that does not help with maintaining bone density. But being thin and eating healthy keeps your quality of life good. I am a seasoned retired US Air Force nurse (Captain) and have researched bone density extensively.

k, thank you for serving.

Do you have any thoughts on wearing a weight vest, and do you think osteoporosis can reverse itself without drug intervention?

Garderner123wewant Sophie: I personally would not take the drugs for osteoporosis. Many of those drugs, the oral biphosphonates (actonel and boniva) have lots of side effects. I have read that these medications also slow down reabsorption of bone so bone becomes denser but not any stronger. Bones are a living tissue; osteoclasts break down the old damaged bone, and osteoblasts lay down new bone tissue where it is needed. I have chosen the path of dealing with osteoporosis via diet and exercise. I don’t know too much about weight vests. I think that the act of lifting weights puts stress on the bones and that this stress may help maintain bone density. I suggest you research “weight vest” to see if they have an effect one bone density. Osteoporosis is such a complicated issue.

Oh, in addition, I am hoping that my diet and exercise will prevent the advancement of osteoporosis and maybe even reverse it to a degree❣️

Thanks for the info, K. Lots of conflicting info out there with regard to osteoporosis, which is surprising since it affects so many women...