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| Article: Osteoporosis: You Need More Than Calcium - by Michael Sellar | ||
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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. Bone mass peaks at around age 35. From then it’s downhill all the way, especially for women whose bone mass is 10% - 15% less than men’s at skeletal maturity and then suffer with accelerated bone loss for 8 - 10 years around the menopause when hormone levels decline. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is not the answer. It increases the risk of blood clotting, stroke, heart attack and cancer. 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. Two-thirds of the body’s magnesium is found in the bones. It plays a crucial role in calcium and bone metabolism. Deficiency causes decreased bone strength and volume and poor development. A positive association with Bone Mineral Density (BMD) has been demonstrated in many population studies. 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 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 required to mineralise the bone. Blood manganese levels in osteoporotic women were found to be only 25% of those without osteoporosis. Deficiencies lead to abnormal bone and cartilage growth and degeneration of vertebral discs. silicon is very rigid and is used by the body at calcification sites of bones. Zinc is necessary if bones are to form normally. Copper works in conjunction with zinc. Depletion leads to bone defects and calcium loss. Iron may also play an important role in bone formation. 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 has an important role in bone metabolism. It is essential for bone formation, remodelling and repair. Several population studies show low dietary or circulating vitamin K is associated with low BMD or increased fractures. Bone health can certainly be added to the long list of conditions that vitamin C can treat. It is required for the collageneous structure of the bone. Vitamin C may also protect the skeleton from oxidative stress especially for cigarette smokers. Smoking greatly increases the risk of hip fracture. Vitamin A is important in the bone remodelling process. Deficiencies are known to be detrimental to bone health. Studies suggest menopause is associated with an increased requirement for folic acid because of decreased efficiency at converting homocysteine – a toxic byproduct of protein metabolism - to less toxic compounds. For this reason other nutrients that offer protection from homocysteine such as vitamin B6 and B12 may also be important. In conclusion, bone health depends on a sufficient supply of a wide range of nutrients that goes well beyond calcium and vitamin D. Such an approach is likely to be far more successful than current orthodox approaches which leave a lot to be desired. This article is an edited version. The full article can be read at www.N16health.com |
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Michael Sellar is a holistic health writer and editor of Enzyme Digest, a newsletter for health professionals. For details of his ezine holistic health monthly update please visit http://www.N16health.com |
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