The two do not equate and that wasn't my intent to suggest that. They are not equivalent approaches but both approaches include the risk of additional bone loss. I can't even stress how important and how big a focus diet and exercise is for me in my life so if my statement inferred otherwise, then I did not communicate it correctly.

We all lose bone starting in our 30s and once we hit menopause, the drop is precipitous with some of us being faster losers than others. Diet and exercise are essential and a necessary adjunct to some type of medication if the loss is great. I'm a very health conscious person, was a dancer, weight trained, and ate a healthy diet of all organic food so my diagnosis was a big shock to me. I was determined to address my bone loss naturally and so I went all in, adding to my daily exercise program, standing at my computer, heel bumps, prunes, hiking, lifting weights, etc, and calculating my nutrition every day to make sure I met all goals, supplementing when I did not. I could not possibly have done much more. The additional loss I suffered during that 2 year diet and exercise trial was really detrimental and I share that experience so that others hopefully won't suffer that same fate.

I have always believed in consuming a healthy, nutritious diet and having a well rounded exercise program and I still do all of those things religiously in addition to the pharmaceuticals that helped me build back what I lost and subsequently maintain. A healthy lifestyle is important not just for our osteoporosis but for how we want to function and live as we age. They are just not very likely to build bone on their own once you're past peak bone mass and starting to lose bone naturally.