Osteopenia. Osteoporosis. For many people, these are mysterious terms. They believe they are like diseases. They are like shingles or arthritis — they happen to unlucky people as they age. We are told that bone density peaks in our late 20s and decreases each year from there, so be sure to drink milk in your 20s and don’t be surprised if you have low bone density, especially after menopause.

While this sounds authoritative, it’s complete bullshit.

Bone density varies according to Wolff’s Law:

Wolff’s Law: bone density and even bone shape naturally builds up to respond to repeated demands and stresses, and it naturally decreases if not stressed.

This is why astronauts lose bone mass, even though they exercise every day on the space station — it’s very difficult to stress bones enough in space, so they naturally lose calcium.

This is also why people who row competitively have strong hips and spines as long as they are competing, even through middle age and beyond. They don’t lose bone mass or density, because they are constantly stressing their bones.

The term “osteopenia” was made up to describe a “condition” that ultimately leads to a diagnosis of osteoporosis, so drug companies can then sell patients on very expensive drugs that don’t work. Doctors comply with this nonsense. Any doctor who prescribes Prolia, Boniva, or Fosamax to an otherwise healthy person is a quack. As soon as you hear those drug names, walk out and find a better doctor.

You can build muscle and bone at any age. Watch my video to learn more: