Bone Health: Load It, Feed It Protein, and the Calcium Story Is Overrated

Summary

The levers that actually build and preserve bone are, in order: **load the skeleton** (progressive resistance and impact training is the #1 modifiable lever, not an optional extra), **eat enough protein** (it HELPS bone, the "protein leaches calcium" claim is debunked), get **calcium preferentially from food** and correct **vitamin D only if you're low**; the popular "drink milk for strong bones" slogan oversimplifies, isolated high-dose calcium SUPPLEMENTS show weak fracture benefit with a possible cardiovascular-risk signal (food beats pills), and bisphosphonate drugs genuinely cut fractures