Evidence-based, plain-English articles on bone health, menopause, weight-loss medications, muscle health and radiation-free screening.
Heavy or chronic drinking is an established, dose-related risk factor for osteoporosis and fracture. UK guidance is no more than 14 units a week — here's what alcohol does to your bones.
Up to 90% of peak bone mass is built by 18-20 and peaks in your late 20s. How weight-bearing exercise, calcium, vitamin D and protein raise your 'bone bank' - and why an early baseline scan is worth it.
Coeliac disease is a cause of secondary osteoporosis: untreated gut damage cuts calcium and vitamin D absorption, lowering bone density. A gluten-free diet helps bones recover — UK scan guidance explained.
Does collagen help your bones? An evidence-led review: some randomised trials show modest bone-density gains in postmenopausal women, but evidence is limited and industry-funded — not a proven osteoporosis treatment.
Most UK adults can meet the 700mg/day calcium target from food, and diet is the preferred source. Here's who genuinely benefits from a calcium supplement, the safe upper limit, and the heart-risk debate.
Early menopause (before 45) or POI (before 40) means bones lose oestrogen's protection sooner, raising osteoporosis and fracture risk. What helps — and why a bone density baseline matters.
Losing height or a new stoop can be a sign of spinal (vertebral) fractures from osteoporosis — and they're often silent. UK guidelines flag height loss of 4cm or more for a bone check. Here's what to do.
Rheumatoid arthritis raises osteoporosis and fracture risk through inflammation, reduced mobility and steroid treatment. Learn what protects your bones and why monitoring matters.
Smoking is a proven, independent risk factor for weaker bones and fractures: it lowers oestrogen, harms bone-building cells and slows healing. The good news — quitting helps your bones recover over time.
Vegans had a higher hip-fracture risk than meat-eaters in the EPIC-Oxford study — but good planning protects bones. A UK guide to calcium, protein, vitamin D and B12 on a plant-based diet.
Hip fractures can rob older adults of their independence. Learn how to protect your bones: weight-bearing and balance exercise, calcium and vitamin D, falls-proofing your home, and knowing your fracture risk.
An overactive thyroid speeds up bone turnover and can lower bone density and raise fracture risk, especially in postmenopausal women. What the UK evidence shows and how to protect your bones.
Type 2 diabetes can raise fracture risk even when a DEXA scan looks normal — because it harms bone quality, not just density. Why bone-quality monitoring matters and how to protect your bones.
Vitamin D helps you absorb calcium and mineralise bone. UK NHS advice: consider a 10 microgram (400 IU) daily supplement in autumn and winter, and all year for some at-risk groups. How much you need.
Looking for a bone density scan near you in the UK? Compare your access routes — NHS DEXA (GP referral), private self-pay clinics, and radiation-free REMS assessment days that travel to UK venues near you.
Can osteoporosis be reversed? Usually not fully — but bone loss can be slowed, stabilised and sometimes modestly improved. What exercise, nutrition and treatment realistically achieve, and why monitoring matters.
Should bone health be in your workplace wellbeing offer? See why an ageing, menopausal workforce needs it — and how Screen My Bones brings radiation-free REMS screening on-site.
Which exercises build bone and which to be cautious with if you have osteoporosis: UK guidance on weight-bearing impact, strength training, balance work like tai chi, and spinal movements to adapt.
Fracture risk is more than a bone density number. See how FRAX estimates your 10-year fracture probability, how UK NOGG thresholds guide treatment, and why bone quality matters too.
Is osteoporosis hereditary? Yes — bone density is strongly influenced by genes and a parent's hip fracture raises your risk (and feeds into FRAX). But genes aren't destiny: a baseline and prevention still matter.
A practical UK guide to the best foods for bone health: calcium sources, vitamin D and why a winter supplement helps, protein, and what to moderate. Cites NHS and ROS.
Yes — men get osteoporosis too. Around 1 in 5 UK men over 50 break a bone because of it. Male risk factors, when to be assessed, and how DXA and FRAX work.
A REMS scan is a radiation-free ultrasound of the spine and hip that gives a T-score plus a Fragility Score for bone quality. Here's how it differs from DEXA, what the evidence and UK guidance say, and where to get one.
Long-term oral steroids such as prednisolone are a leading cause of secondary osteoporosis, with bone loss fastest in the first months. Here's who's at risk and what UK guidance advises.
Yes, NHS DEXA bone density scans are available — but only via GP or specialist referral, you cannot self-refer. Who qualifies, how to ask your GP, plus private and radiation-free REMS options.
For most people a repeat bone density (DXA) scan is done no sooner than every 2 years — bone changes slowly and scanners only detect real change over time. Higher-risk people may need them more often.
Preparing for a bone density (DXA) scan? Wear loose, metal-free clothing, flag any recent barium, CT contrast or nuclear-medicine scan or possible pregnancy, and arrive on time. It is quick and painless.
Is a DEXA scan safe? Yes — it uses a very low dose of ionising radiation, far less than a chest X-ray and similar to a few days of natural background. Painless, no injection, but avoided in pregnancy.
In the UK, a bone density T-score of -1.0 or above is normal, -1.0 to -2.5 is osteopenia and -2.5 or below is osteoporosis. Under-50s use a Z-score instead.
Osteopenia means lower-than-normal bone density — a DXA T-score between -1.0 and -2.5. It's a risk marker, not a disease. Here's what causes it and what to do.
RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) is the IOC term for low energy availability harming athlete health, including bone. Learn the warning signs, bone and stress-fracture risks, and how it's assessed.
Where to get a private bone density (DEXA) scan in the UK: private hospitals, imaging clinics and self-referral providers, many with no GP referral needed. What to check before booking, plus radiation-free REMS.
A DEXA T-score compares your bone density to a healthy young adult; a Z-score compares you to people of your own age, sex and ethnicity. Here's which number matters for you.
A DEXA scan isn't designed to diagnose arthritis. But spinal osteoarthritis, osteophytes and aortic calcification can falsely raise your lumbar spine BMD and mask osteoporosis — here's what that means for your results.
A DEXA bone density scan usually takes about 10-20 minutes. It's painless, you stay dressed (avoid metal zips and buttons), and a scanner arm passes over your spine and hip while you lie still.
How much does a bone density (DEXA) scan cost in the UK? NHS scans are free when clinically referred; private DEXA typically costs from around £85–£250 as of 2026.
Your DEXA scan gives a T-score: -1.0 or above is normal, -1.0 to -2.5 is osteopenia and -2.5 or below is osteoporosis. Here's how to read your result and what to do next.
A DEXA scan measures bone density at the spine and hip and gives a T-score to diagnose osteoporosis — but it can't see bone quality, which is why some people fracture at a 'normal' result.
No — a DEXA (bone density) scan is designed to measure bone density and diagnose osteoporosis, not to detect or rule out cancer. Here's what a bone scan really checks, and which tests investigate suspected cancer.
Weight-bearing and resistance exercise build bone — swimming and cycling don't. Here's what UK guidelines and the evidence say about training safely for stronger bones.
After 50, some bone loss is normal — but how much is too much? A UK guide to T-scores, perimenopause, fracture risk and what the evidence says you can actually do.
Weight-loss injections like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro can lower bone density alongside the fat you lose. Here's the UK evidence on whether a baseline bone scan is worth it first.
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro cause some lean muscle loss alongside fat. Here's what the evidence shows, who's most at risk, and how to protect muscle (and bone).
Can you improve bone density naturally? Here's what the evidence really shows about exercise, diet and lifestyle for stronger bones — with honest UK guidance and no overclaiming.
Menopause speeds up bone loss as oestrogen falls — often before periods stop. Here's why it happens, how much density you can lose, and how UK women can protect their bones.
Menopause and a GLP-1 weight-loss jab both nudge bone density down. Here's what the UK evidence really shows, why the combination warrants care, and how to protect your bones.
Oestrogen protects your bones — and when it falls at menopause, bone loss speeds up. Here's what UK evidence says about HRT for bone density, who it suits, and how to track whether it's working.
Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro can lower bone density — but the evidence points to rapid weight loss, not the drug itself. Here's what UK research shows and how to protect your bones.
Bone loss can begin years before your final period. Here's what UK evidence shows about the perimenopause prevention window — and how to protect your bones in time.
Menopause speeds up bone loss — but most of it is preventable. A UK evidence guide to the exercise, nutrition, HRT and radiation-free monitoring that protect your bones.
Bone density can dip during rapid weight loss on GLP-1 injections. Here's how to protect your bones on Mounjaro, Wegovy or Ozempic — exercise, nutrition and a radiation-free baseline scan.
Considering a DEXA scan in the UK? Here's how DEXA works, its limits, and the radiation-free alternative — REMS — with honest UK framing on what it can and can't replace.
Lose weight fast and your bones change too. UK evidence shows how rapid weight loss lowers bone density, who's most at risk, and how exercise, protein and screening protect your skeleton.
What is a DEXA scan? It's the standard X-ray test for bone density. Here's how DEXA works, what it measures, and how it compares with radiation-free REMS — with honest UK framing.
Sarcopenia — age-related muscle loss — speeds up after 50 and is rarely diagnosed in the UK. Here's how fast you lose muscle, the warning signs, and what the evidence shows actually prevents it.
Osteoporosis is usually silent — there are no reliable early symptoms until a bone breaks. Here's what UK evidence really says about the signs, the risk factors, and how to find out before a fracture.
How vitamin D, calcium and protein work together to keep bones strong — UK intake targets, the best food sources (including dairy-free), and when supplements actually help.
Does Wegovy lower bone density? Most BMD data is at the diabetes dose, while the obesity-dose fracture signal comes from SELECT. Here's the balanced UK evidence — and how to protect your bones.
Osteoporosis weakens bones silently as resorption outpaces new bone. Here's what causes it — ageing, menopause, medications and hidden conditions — and the UK risk factors you can change.
A bone health assessment checks how strong your bones are and your fracture risk. Here's what it involves, who needs one in the UK, and how DEXA and radiation-free REMS scans compare.
A simple walkthrough of a Screen My Bones REMS bone density screening day — what happens, how long it takes, and what you'll learn.