Dr. Peter Attia

So people who do jiu-jitsu, strength training, resistance training, those are the ways that you're going to increase this. So I would say that was the first finding that is important and worth discussing.

So people who do jiu-jitsu, strength training, resistance training, those are the ways that you're going to increase this. So I would say that was the first finding that is important and worth discussing.

I mean, I guess, did you have asthma as a child or anything?

I mean, I guess, did you have asthma as a child or anything?

Well, if there's something that was impacting your calcium levels when you were little, that would certainly be a potential risk for it. Our bones are mostly formed for males in the early 20s, for girls typically in the late teens. So anything that disrupted calcium metabolism when you were young could have played a role in this for sure.

Well, if there's something that was impacting your calcium levels when you were little, that would certainly be a potential risk for it. Our bones are mostly formed for males in the early 20s, for girls typically in the late teens. So anything that disrupted calcium metabolism when you were young could have played a role in this for sure.

The reason I asked if you had asthma is a lot of the times we see folks that had any medical condition that required corticosteroids. Prolonged use of corticosteroids would be another big risk factor. Of course, there's also genetics, so probably worth knowing if your parents themselves have low bone density.

The reason I asked if you had asthma is a lot of the times we see folks that had any medical condition that required corticosteroids. Prolonged use of corticosteroids would be another big risk factor. Of course, there's also genetics, so probably worth knowing if your parents themselves have low bone density.

But it sounds like there's something going on with calcium metabolism as a kid that might have played a role. The reason it is really important to connect with an endocrinologist now is there are actual medical studies

But it sounds like there's something going on with calcium metabolism as a kid that might have played a role. The reason it is really important to connect with an endocrinologist now is there are actual medical studies

treatments that can increase bone density in addition to all of sort of the total optimization of the nutritional stuff, vitamin D, calcium levels, things of that nature, and of course the training.

treatments that can increase bone density in addition to all of sort of the total optimization of the nutritional stuff, vitamin D, calcium levels, things of that nature, and of course the training.

No, I mean, I think if you think about the long bones of the body, which are the ones that we're basically measuring here, I mean, the short bones in the spine, but the femurs and hips, anything that puts those things under deformation. So anything from a farmer's carry to a step up to a box squat.

No, I mean, I think if you think about the long bones of the body, which are the ones that we're basically measuring here, I mean, the short bones in the spine, but the femurs and hips, anything that puts those things under deformation. So anything from a farmer's carry to a step up to a box squat.

I mean, you know, it's whatever you can do safely that's loading you and placing these bones in a manner that… forces them to actually undergo deformation. And the other thing I would also make sure of is that someone's checking your blood levels to look at things like testosterone and estrogen. So estrogen, believe it or not, probably the most important hormone besides vitamin D in bone health.

I mean, you know, it's whatever you can do safely that's loading you and placing these bones in a manner that… forces them to actually undergo deformation. And the other thing I would also make sure of is that someone's checking your blood levels to look at things like testosterone and estrogen. So estrogen, believe it or not, probably the most important hormone besides vitamin D in bone health.

So you can think of a bone as something with a strain gauge in it. And as the bone is deformed, the strain gauge sends a signal, a chemical signal to cells that build the bone. The chemical signal is estrogen.

So you can think of a bone as something with a strain gauge in it. And as the bone is deformed, the strain gauge sends a signal, a chemical signal to cells that build the bone. The chemical signal is estrogen.

So the reason women are so susceptible to osteopenia and osteoporosis is once they go through menopause, many of them lose their estrogen if they're not placed on, well, they all lose their estrogen, but if they're not placed on hormone replacement therapy, they don't get it back. And so they lose that chemical signal. So women see a rapid drop-off in bone density at menopause.

So the reason women are so susceptible to osteopenia and osteoporosis is once they go through menopause, many of them lose their estrogen if they're not placed on, well, they all lose their estrogen, but if they're not placed on hormone replacement therapy, they don't get it back. And so they lose that chemical signal. So women see a rapid drop-off in bone density at menopause.