- Moving more and sitting less helps increase bone density (and lower body fat percentage), according to one study.
- Experts explain that exercise stimulates the formation of new bone cells that keep bones from becoming brittle.
- Doctors offer their top exercise and diet tips to keep bones strong as you age.
Bone strength is a real concern for many as they get older, but especially for women who begin to lose bone density at a more rapid rate after menopause. Fortunately, for anyone concerned with their risk of developing osteoporosis (a.k.a. more brittle bones) as they age, there’s hope. Researchers have found a powerful link between physical activity and bone density that can help you preserve your bone—or even build new bone if you’re choosing the right forms of exercise.
Meet the experts: Alfred Tallia, M.D., M.P.H., a professor and chair in the department of family medicine and community health at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; Omar Atassi, M.D., an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Baylor College of Medicine; William Buxton, M.D., the director of neuromuscular and neurodiagnostic medicine and of fall prevention at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, CA.
The study, which was published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, analyzed data from 9,787 Americans aged 20 to 59 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2011 to 2018. The researchers looked at factors like bone mineral density and body fat percentage, along with how often people were sedentary and physical.
The researchers found that people who had more sedentary lives were less likely to have good bone density in their lower back and more likely to have a higher body fat percentage. But those who were more active were more likely to have better bone density and a lower body fat percentage.
“Our results show that physical activity is a key component of maintaining bone health in both men and women and is strongly associated with lower body fat percentages,” the researchers wrote. “Healthcare policy makers should consider reducing sedentary activity and increasing physical activity when preventing osteoporosis and obesity.”
Why might working out regularly promote good bone density? In this particular study, the researchers didn’t explore why exercise may help with bone density—they just found a link. However, researchers and physicians do have an idea.
“This study confirms what we know about exercise and bone density,” said Alfred Tallia, M.D., M.P.H., a professor and chair in the department of family medicine and community health at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “Thinning of bone density is called osteoporosis and is responsible for fractures of the hip and spine whose consequences can take years off of a person’s life expectancy. We normally lose bone density as we age.”
The way exercise can help with bone density is slightly complicated but, on a basic level, the physical stress that your bones experience when you exercise stimulates your bones to remodel with extra deposits of calcium and bone-forming cells. This ends up creating stronger and denser bones. Your body reabsorbs old bone and creates new bone during your life and, as long as your body has a good balance of old and new bone, your bones stay healthy and strong, the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) explains.
“Bone density describes the quality of your bone,” said Omar Atassi, M.D., an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. “When we are in our 20s, most of us have normal bone density. As we naturally age, bone gradually loses its strength and becomes more porous.” Dr. Atassi compared healthy bones to a wood 4×4. “As we age, our bone can gradually become very porous and weak, like dry wall,” he said. “Just like when you are hanging up a heavy picture, you strive to put a nail in the stud instead of the dry wall because the dry wall will have trouble holding up a heavy picture.” If your bone density becomes critically low, your bones will have trouble holding up against the occasional fall or bump, he said. “When we were studs, the simple fall would result in a bruised ego, but when we are dry wall, our bones can break,” he added.
Since this study was published in 2023, others have come out supporting the benefits of exercise for increasing bone density. In a large review and meta-analysis in Scientific Reports published in 2025, both aerobic exercise and resistance training were found to significantly improve bone density in postmenopausal women.
How to improve your bone density
All exercise is good for your overall health, but certain ones are considered better for lowering your risk of poor bone density and osteoporosis. “One of the best ways to maintain bone health and prevent osteoporosis is engaging in weight-bearing exercises,” said William Buxton, M.D., the director of neuromuscular and neurodiagnostic medicine and of fall prevention at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, CA.
Dr. Tallia emphasized that activities like walking, gardening, climbing stairs, and dancing that put some stress on your bones “help prevent falls and helps keep bone density loss at a minimum.”
Getting plenty of calcium and vitamin D, through supplements or from the best foods to eat for strong bones, can also help promote good bone health, per the NLM. Exercise “combined with a nutritional diet with adequate amounts of calcium—dairy and green leafy vegetables like spinach—and vitamin D, keeps the risk of fracture at bay,” Dr. Tallia said. There are also a few habits that aren’t great for your bones. “Drinking increases the risk of osteoporosis,” said Dr. Buxton. (Worth noting: Smoking does too.)
If you’re concerned about your bone density or if you have a family history of osteoporosis, talk to your primary care physician. They may recommend that you have an X-ray known as a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to scan your bones and see where you’re at. From there, they can offer personalized recommendations to help with your bone density, which may include a combination of medication and lifestyle changes like increasing exercise.
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