Natural Ways to Increase Your Bone Health Like Vitamin D Supplements, According to Dr. Weil

The 206 bones in the human body may appear solid and unchanging, but our skeleton constantly remodels itself, with the bones breaking down and being rebuilt in a complex metabolic dance. Although some bone loss is inevitable with time (especially for women), there are things we can do now to move this dance in our favor and maintain optimal bone strength well into our older years. You'll have a much better chance of keeping them strong if you start good habits young.

TYPES OF BONE TISSUE

First, a bit of anatomy. There are two distinct types of bone tissue and they both lose mass as we age, but at different speeds.

Trabecular bone is the inner latticework that, in cross section, looks like a sponge or risen bread. The calcium in trabecular bone is loosely held and leaches into blood when blood levels of calcium are low. Trabecular bone begins to lose mass from when we’re roughly age 30 onward, which is why it’s important for even young adults to follow a bone-strengthening lifestyle.

Cortical bone is the relatively solid outer shell covering each bone. It hangs on to its reserves more tightly than does trabecular bone and doesn’t start to lose mass until we’re about 40.