Deal of the Day
Syndicate
Jul
3
Fractures caused by thinning and brittle bones affects one in three women and one in twelve men. It is a leading cause of death.
Bone mass reaches a peak at about the age of 35. After that it declines, especially for women who have 10 % - 15% less bone mass than men at skeletal maturity. There is then an accelerated loss of bone for up to a decade around the menopause when there is a decline in hormone levels. The answer is not Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). This increases the risk of heart attack, strokes, blood clots and cancer.
Calcium Can Cause Problems If Taken Alone
Calcium is known to be important. However osteoporosis is not a calcium deficiency disease. Taking a calcium supplement alone is not recommended. It won’t necessarily be absorbed into the bone. Instead it may remain in the blood and end up in the tissues causing its own health problems. While absorption is improved with vitamin D, it also has close relationships with other minerals.
Magnesium Is Also Important
Two-thirds of the magnesium in the body is found in the bones. It plays a vital role in the metabolism of calcium and bone. A deficiency of magnesium decreases the strength of bone, its volume and its development. It is positively associated with bone mineral density (BMD) as has been demonstrated in a number of population studies.
Strontium Can Stimulate Bone Formation
A century ago studies demonstrated strontium to be able to effectively stimulate rapid bone formation and that the combination of strontium with calcium was superior to using calcium alone to mineralise bones.
Boron Helps Bones To Heal
Boron is important in retaining calcium. According to Dr Rex Newnham, a world authority on the mineral, boron “will help broken bones mend in about half the normal time.”
Manganese Is Needed For Bone Growth
Manganese is needed to mineralize the bones. Osteoporotic women were found to have blood manganese levels at only 25% of the level of women without osteoporosis. Abnormal bone and cartilage growth can arise with deficiencies. There may also be degeneration of the vertebral discs.
You Need Copper, Zinc & Silicon
Silicon is quite rigid and the body uses it at sites of calcification of the bones. If bones are to form normally they require zinc. Copper works in co-operation with zinc. Depletion of this mineral can lead to bone defects and a loss of calcium. Iron is also believed to play a role in the formation of bones.
Let’s Not Forget Those Important Vitamins
Vitamin D facilitates active calcium absorption in the intestines. It is also involved in bone turnover. Vitamin D status declines with age so deficiency in the aged is not uncommon.
Vitamin K is vital for bone formation, remodelling and repair. A few population studies show that deficiencies of vitamin K in either the diet or circulating in the body is associated with reduced BMD or an increase in the rate of fracture.
Vitamin C is needed to make collagen within the bone structure. It may also offer some skeletal protection against free radicals and oxidative stress. This is especially the case for cigaretter smokers. Smoking is associated with an increase in the risk of hip fracture.
Vitamin A has an important role to play in bone remodelling. Deficiencies of this vitamin have detrimental affects on bone health.
There is an increased requirement for folic acid at the menopause, studies suggest. This happens because the efficiency of converting homocysteine - a toxic byproduct of protein metabolism - to less toxic compounds becomes impaired. Other nutrients that protect against the damaging effects of homocysteine include vitamin B6 and B12, so these may be helpful too.
And Finally
In conclusion, bone health depends on a wide range of nutrients that goes well beyond just supplementing with calcium. This approach is likely to achieve more success than current orthodox treatments for osteoporosis.
Tags: Osteoporosis
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