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By EMILY JOSHU STERNE, US SENIOR HEALTH REPORTER
Published: 00:53 GMT, 8 March 2026 | Updated: 00:55 GMT, 8 March 2026
Dr Robin Berzin should have been the picture of longevity.
As an internal and functional medicine physician, Berzin was well versed in healthy aging for women. She lifted light weights, followed a healthy diet and regularly tested levels of her hormones, all of which strengthen muscles and lower the risk of bone decay.
But in spring 2025, at age 43, Berzin underwent a full-body X-ray called a DEXA (Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) scan that measures the amount of calcium and other vital minerals that keep the bones from breaking. To her surprise, it revealed osteopenia, a loss of bone density.
Left untreated, osteopenia can advance into osteoporosis, which causes the bones to become so weak and brittle that even minor bumps or stressors like coughing can lead to fractures.
Bone density naturally degrades with age, but faster weakening can decrease mobility and independence and increase the risk of severe injuries. Falling with weakened bones can also lead to hospitalizations, raising the risk of life-threatening complications such as blood clots that can travel from the legs to the lungs.
'I was surprised that at 43 I had osteopenia already in my hips and on both sides - so bilateral osteopenia,' Berzin, founder and CEO of Parsley Health, told the Daily Mail. 'Bone health is something that's so critical for women.'
For many of the three million Americans with osteopenia, the condition feels like an inevitable step toward osteoporosis, which affects another three million people. Women make up around 50 percent of the country's osteopenia patients and 80 percent of osteoporosis patients.
The former is especially common in women who have gone through menopause due to the sharp decline of protective estrogen. Recent research also suggests early menopause, which occurs before age 45, is on the rise in the US due to lifestyle factors such as increasing rates of obesity, environmental toxins and physical inactivity.
Dr Robin Berzin, an internal and functional medicine physician and the founder and CEO of Parsley Health, was diagnosed at 43 with osteopenia
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Berzin has not been through menopause yet.
But, she noted that women who are obese and have higher levels of visceral fat, as well as those with autoimmune conditions that cause inflammation such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, are at a greater risk of osteopenia.
'We basically have a population of women who are set up for higher rates of osteoporosis and osteopenia earlier and earlier,' Berzin told the Daily Mail. 'And the kicker is that we can actually be reversing osteopenia and osteoporosis if we start early.'
For Berzin, building lean muscle was key to reversing her osteopenia. Muscle contractions from regular weight training are thought to create tension on the bones, signaling them to increase their density and become thicker.
Stronger muscles also provide essential structural support for the skeleton, especially around the hips, spine and wrists.
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A 2022 study published in the journal Sensors found that about six months of regular strength training was enough to increase bone density.
When it comes to long-term health, Berzin believes muscle mass may be a better indicator for women than body mass index (BMI) when considering the effect it has on bone density.
One 2022 study found that small decreases in bone density were associated with a 1.4-fold increased risk of death from any cause.
'I've been really on a mission to help women learn to throw away their scale because weight is a really inadequate metric for health span and longevity and to instead look at total body DEXA,' she said.
DEXA scans, like the one Berzin had last year, take around ten minutes and analyze levels of body fat, lean mass and bone density in each part of the body. The cost varies based on location and potential insurance coverage, but without insurance, the scan runs between $100 and $400.
Most doctors do not recommend DEXA scans until age 65 for women or 70 for men, but Berzin suggested opting for one much earlier - starting at age 35 - 'to really get ahead of building bone, or in my case, rebuilding bone, which can be done with the right protocols.'
