Bones need load: DEXA scans, osteocalcin and lifting against bone loss
Peter Attia recommends DEXA scans and tracking bone mineral density, Stacy Sims and Vonda Wright treat strength training as bone medicine, Sharon Malone covers bone loss around menopause, and Huberman explains how loaded bones release osteocalcin that reaches the brain. Bone is living tissue that answers to mechanical stress, so the case for lifting covers the skeleton as well as muscle.
How does bone respond to exercise? Show answer
It is living tissue that is constantly broken down and rebuilt, and it builds in proportion to the load placed on it.
What prescription do all six experts share? Show answer
Load the skeleton with heavy resistance training throughout life, with some adding impact.
What does Peter Attia look at first on a DEXA scan? Show answer
Bone mineral density, tracked over time against people of the same age and sex.
Why does Attia rank bone density so highly? Show answer
After 65, breaking a hip carries roughly a 30 to 40 percent chance of death within a year.
Why does heavy lifting build bone, in Attia's account? Show answer
Muscles pull on bone through tendons, stimulating bone-building cells. The effect is mostly local to the bones loaded.
What pattern does Stacy Sims warn women about? Show answer
Lots of cardio combined with eating too little, which can leave low bone density despite looking lean.
How heavy should women lift, according to Sims and Vonda Wright? Show answer
Heavy enough for only about four to eight repetitions, built up gradually over six to nine months.
What does Wright add beyond lifting? Show answer
Impact and balance work, because bones need impact and falls are how people break them.
When does Sharon Malone say a woman should have her first bone scan? Show answer
At menopause, with a repeat 18 months to two years later, instead of waiting until 65.
Can lost bone be regained? Show answer
Mostly not, Malone says. Others report small gains, so prevention is far cheaper than repair.
What is osteocalcin? Show answer
A hormone released by loaded bone that reaches the brain and supports the memory center. This link is still tentative.
What besides exercise affects bone health? Show answer
Genetics, childhood activity, calcium and vitamin D, hormones such as estrogen, and eating enough.