As we age, our bones are affected by genetics, nutrition, exercise, and hormonal loss. We cannot change our genes, but we can control our nutrition and activity level and, if necessary, take osteoporosis medications. You are never too old or too young to improve your bone health.

Bone can get either stronger or weaker over time, depending on how we take care of it. Before age 25, especially around the time of puberty and early adulthood, we can make bigger, thicker bones through weight-bearing exercise and good nutrition. After age 25, weight-bearing exercise can help decrease bone loss and maintain bone mass and strength, but it cannot make bigger bones. Bone density in adults can be increased only 1 to 2 % in specific weight-bearing bones with regular exercise and can be lost once exercise is stopped. That is why it is so important to build maximum peak skeletal size and strength during growth. A bigger skeleton at the end of growth help protect against age-related bone loss.