Try This –Why a Bone Density Scan Can Save Your Life

Listen to me: you do not want to become fragile. 

Fragility means loss of independence, loss of mobility, loss of life. Basically, when you become fragile, you are accelerating your aging and path to disease states. 

When I say fragile, I’m talking about weak bones. And no, this is not just an issue for older folks. Younger people are losing bone at rapid rates too. 

The good news is that when you catch bone decline early, you can course-correct and prevent things like osteopenia and osteoporosis, but the longer you wait, the harder this becomes.

The question becomes, how do you know if you’re experiencing bone loss? 

The tricky part is, you might not know.

Osteoporosis is often called a “silent” disease—you typically won’t know your bones are getting weaker until a fracture happens. Yikes! 

But today, I’m going to share a groundbreaking tool that can detect early bone loss and save you from becoming fragile. 

This is not just grandma’s problem. It’s everyone’s problem. So listen up.

Let’s get into it. 

A Special Message for Women or Anyone Who Loves the Women in Their Life 

I know a huge portion of my Try This readers are women, so I want to call special attention to this make-or-break (literally!) issue for you. 

Women in perimenopause and menopause, you have to pay attention to bone health. The drop in estrogen around menopause can cause bone density to nose-dive; research shows up to 20 percent of a woman’s bone loss can happen during this transition.

By the time you’re 60, the risk of osteoporosis and fractures climbs steeply (one in two postmenopausal women will have osteoporosis and likely a fracture in her lifetime).

But here’s the good news: early action makes a huge difference. It’s much easier to maintain the bone strength you have now than to rebuild bone later once it’s largely lost.

And again, for women, this is an urgent matter, but men, you need to pay attention, too, since two million men in this country have osteoporosis, and another 16 million have low bone mass.

There’s one tool that so many of my practitioner friends recommend if you have access to it…and it can detect bone loss now. 

DEXA Scans: Your Early Warning System

OK, if you haven’t heard of DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), it’s a test that is used for measuring both body composition and bone mineral density. It’s super quick, totally painless, and the gold standard for detecting bone loss before your first fracture, as well as more advanced forms of bone loss like osteopenia and osteoporosis. 

All it takes is about 15–20 minutes, and it focuses on areas like the hip and spine where fractures tend to be the most devastating. 

Now, here’s the thing: health guidelines recommend starting bone density scans around age 65, but other experts recommend age 50, especially if you’re at risk. 

If you have low muscle mass, are underweight, have a family history of osteoporosis (many Asian and Caucasian women are at risk), drink alcohol regularly, smoke, have a chronic disease, or have broken a bone recently, you might want to talk to your doctor about getting a DEXA scan earlier. Many insurance companies will cover a DEXA if you meet those criteria. This blog can help you determine your risk to know when to ask your doctor for a DEXA scan. 

A lot of my friends are getting them now in their 30s and 40s, just to know where they stand.

Here’s a sample report of what you will receive when you get a DEXA bone density scan. Basically, the most important parts of understanding your results are a T-Score and a Z-Score.

T-Score

• What it measures: How your bone density compares to the average healthy 30-year-old adult of the same sex.

• Used to diagnose: Osteopenia and osteoporosis.

• Scale:
  

  • +1 to -1: Normal

  • -1 to -2.5: Osteopenia (low bone mass)

  • Below -2.5: Osteoporosis (high risk of fractures)
    

📌 Example: A T-Score like the one in the sample report means normal.  

Z-Score

• What it measures: How your bone density compares to others your age, sex, and size.

• Used for: Determining if bone loss might be due to a secondary cause (like a medical condition or medication).

• Scale:
  

  • A Z-Score above -2.0 is considered within the expected range for your age.

  • A Z-Score below -2.0 may prompt further investigation.
    

📌 Example: A Z-Score like the one in the sample report means this individual has a higher result than 50–69 percent of 30-year-old female adults. 

Tips for Understanding Your DEXA Score

1. I simply put my results into ChatGPT, and it gave me an understanding of these scores, so I highly recommend doing that. 

2. You can also use this guide from the NIH to interpret your results. 

Learn more about DEXA here. 

In the meantime, there’s so much you can do to focus on your bone health now. 

Try This – Build Better Bones Today

Here are six evidence-backed steps you can start right now to support your bone density and resilience:

• Weight-Bearing Exercises: Make friends with squats, lunges, or even a jump rope. Strength training and other weight-bearing exercises signal your body to build bone. Research shows that regular weight-bearing or resistance exercise improves bone density and even helps reduce fracture risk.
  

• Power Up Your Protein: Eating enough protein isn’t just for building muscle—it’s crucial for your bones too. Adequate dietary protein helps preserve bone mass as you age. In fact, older adults with higher protein intake tend to have higher bone density and fewer fractures. Include high-quality protein with each meal (think beans, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, or poultry) to give your bones the building blocks they need.
  

• Get Your D and K2 (and Calcium, of Course): Calcium gets the spotlight for bone health, but it can’t do its job without its sidekicks, vitamin D and vitamin K2. Vitamin D is essential because it helps your body absorb calcium and mineralize bone. Meanwhile, vitamin K2 helps direct calcium to your skeleton (and keeps it out of arteries). Studies link low vitamin K intake with lower bone density and higher fracture risk. So, soak up some safe sun for natural vitamin D (or consider a D3 supplement of ~2,000 IU, although sometimes 5,000 IU is needed to correct deficiencies). 

When it comes to K2, I recommend K2-rich foods like leafy greens, egg yolks, and fermented foods. Some experts recommend aiming for 100–300 mcg daily. 

For calcium, your intake should be 1,000 mg per day, or 1,200 mg for women who are in or around their menopausal years.

• Don’t Forget This Mineral: People with a higher intake of magnesium have a higher bone mineral density, but it is virtually impossible to meet the minimum RDA (recommended daily allowance) from food alone. A combination of food and supplementation is your best bet for meeting the minimum RDA of 300–500 mg. I take at least 300 mg of magnesium via supplement nightly. 

• Go Easy on the Booze: Excessive alcohol is bad news for your bones. High alcohol intake interferes with the bone-rebuilding process and accelerates bone loss. To protect your skeleton, keep your drinking moderate. Heavy drinking (more than about three drinks a day) is linked to higher osteoporosis and fracture risk. In short, enjoy that glass of wine or beer if you like, but know that moderation is truly key for bone health.

• Get a DEXA Bone Scan: If you’re serious about bone health, it’s important to know where you stand. Consider a DEXA scan before serious bone loss sets in. Early detection and action are your bone insurance plan: invest a little effort now, enjoy fracture-free living later. Your future self (with unbroken hips and a strong spine) will thank you!

Bone loss might be invisible, but it does not have to be inevitable.

Here’s to strong bones, 

Dhru Purohit