You Need More Than Calcium To Overcome Osteoporosis
By michael sellar | July 29, 2008
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Fractures caused by thinning and brittle bones affects one in three women and one in twelve men. It is a leading cause of death.
At around the age of 35 bone mass peaks. From then on it declines, especially for females who have ten to fifteen percent less bone mass than men at skeletal maturity. There is an additional loss of bone mass for eight to ten years from a reduction in hormone levels at the menopause. Many choose to take Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), but this is not the answer. HRT increases the risk of blood clots, heart attacks, strokes and cancer.
Calcium Can Cause Problems
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
In the early part of the 20th century studies showed strontium to be effective in stimulating rapid formation of bone and that strontium and calcium were superior to calcium alone in mineralizing bone.
Boron Helps Bones To Heal
Boron is an important mineral for calcium retention. Dr Rex Newnham, a world authority on boron has stated that broken bones will heal in half the usual time with adequate supplies of this mineral.
Manganese Is Needed For Bone Growth
To mineralise bone, manganese is required. Women with osteoporosis were found to have blood manganese levels at only 25% of the level of those who didn’t have this condition. Deficiencies of manganese can give rise to abnormal growth of bone and cartilage as well as 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 is required for calcium to be absorbed in the intestines. It also helps regulate bone turnover. Deficiencies are quite common in the elderly since its status declines with age.
Vitamin K is also important in the metabolism of bone. It is required for bone formation, remodelling and repair. Epidemiological studies have shown that those people who lack vitamin K in the diet or in the circulation have a lower BMD or an increase in fractures.
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.
Topics: Nutrition |
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