You are smart to be thinking about ways to increase your bone strength. With osteopenia, bone strength is lower than is ideal, though not low enough to be called osteoporosis. Still, the risk of fracture is increased, so it's important to reduce bone loss or to increase bone strength if possible.

There are a number of ways to slow bone loss without taking medications. These include:

• Weight-bearing exercise, such as walking or jogging
• Not smoking
• Reducing your alcohol intake to 1 or less alcoholic beverages daily
• Having your thyroid monitored (if you have thyroid disease)
• Getting enough vitamin D. Many people need 1000 units or more each day. Ten to 15 minutes of sun exposure each day is another way to boost your vitamin D levels.
• Reviewing your medications with your doctor. Reducing or stopping those drugs that can contribute to bone loss (such as prednisone) can help you maintain bone strength

Each of these measures can lessen bone loss. However, none reliably increase bone strength. For that, medications, such as alendronate (Fosamax) or teriparatide (Forteo) are usually needed.

Get your bone density checked regularly. If it's decreasing over time despite doing all you can to maintain bone health, it's worth discussing the risks and benefits of additional medications with your doctor.