Sunday, November 8th, 2009

It is well known that taking calcium supplements can slow down or reverse bone loss. Zinc, copper, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin K, and magnesium also contribute to bone health in different ways. Before you settle on taking only calcium, consider the benefits of these other vitamins and supplements for protecting your bones.

Bone loss occurs when the body needs more calcium than you provide. But your bones lose important minerals during this process as well. Certain vitamins and minerals are responsible for bone metabolism and creating a bone matrix that strengthens bone and allows it to harden. Mineral deficiencies are common in people with osteoporosis, so supplementing may help to overcome a lot of the problems associated with osteoporosis.

Zinc, copper, manganese and vitamin C are necessary for collagen to form in bone tissues. Collagen forms strands inside the bone. Calcium attaches to the collagen structures and hardens. Zinc and copper absorption can be affected by calcium supplements, so it is best to take it in a highly absorbable form. You may not absorb enough zinc and copper from food sources, so supplementation may be necessary. Manganese deficiencies are also common in osteoporosis patients. Studies show that most minerals work best when combined with vitamins. You may want to try a vitamin C powder that contains essential minerals to ensure proper absorption and maximum benefit.

Vitamin D and vitamin K are also key in building the bone infrastructure. These two vitamins work together to balance calcium levels and aid in bone function. Bones are not unchanging structures. They have a complex system of breaking down and rebuilding that is always occurring, known as bone metabolism. This action helps to properly balance and distribute calcium to bones, muscles, nerves and the heart for use in several essential bodily processes.

Vitamin K deficiency is believed to play a key role in osteoporosis. Vitamin K is produced in our intestinal bacteria. The use of antibiotics, stomach problems and infections, kill off the bacteria responsible for producing vitamin K. Your doctor may want to test for vitamin K deficiency before you supplement, so talk with him/her about your bone health before you buy vitamins.

Magnesium deficiency is increasingly common and can contribute to bone loss. Magnesium is responsible for moving calcium out of the soft tissues and into the bone. Without enough calcium, this cannot take place. Magnesium also helps in the metabolic process that aids our bodies in getting calcium from food sources, so it plays a few different roles in bone formation, function and repair. Again, the absorption of magnesium can be affected by calcium, so it is advisable to take it in a highly absorbable form.

Taking a proper balance of vitamins and supplements is key in protecting yourself from osteoporosis. Because of the difficulty in obtaining enough of each nutrient in a highly absorbable form through food, you may want to consider supplementing. As always, talk with your health care provider or nutritionist when you buy vitamins to ensure that you are not overdoing it in any one area. Keeping everything in balance can help you to preserve bone, maintain calcium stores, promote healthy bone metabolism, and fight osteoporosis.

No Bones About It: Eating Dried Plums Helps Prevent Fractures and Osteoporosis, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily (Aug. 26, 2011) — When it comes to improving bone health in postmenopausal women -- and people of all ages, actually -- a Florida State University researcher has found a simple, proactive solution to help prevent fractures and osteoporosis: eating dried plums.

"Over my career, I have tested numerous fruits, including figs, dates, strawberries and raisins, and none of them come anywhere close to having the effect on bone density that dried plums, or prunes, have," said Bahram H. Arjmandi, Florida State's Margaret A. Sitton Professor and chairman of the Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences in the College of Human Sciences. "All fruits and vegetables have a positive effect on nutrition, but in terms of bone health, this particular food is exceptional."

Arjmandi and a group of researchers from Florida State and Oklahoma State University tested two groups of postmenopausal women. Over a 12-month period, the first group, consisting of 55 women, was instructed to consume 100 grams of dried plums (about 10 prunes) each day, while the second -- a comparative control group of 45 women -- was told to consume 100 grams of dried apples. All of the study's participants also received daily doses of calcium (500 milligrams) and vitamin D (400 international units).

The group that consumed dried plums had significantly higher bone mineral density in the ulna (one of two long bones in the forearm) and spine, in comparison with the group that ate dried apples. This, according to Arjmandi, was due in part to the ability of dried plums to suppress the rate of bone resorption, or the breakdown of bone, which tends to exceed the rate of new bone growth as people age.

The group's research, was published in the British Journal of Nutrition. Arjmandi conducted the research with his graduate students Shirin Hooshmand, Sheau C. Chai and Raz L. Saadat of the College of Human Sciences; Dr. Kenneth Brummel-Smith, Florida State's Charlotte Edwards Maguire Professor and chairman of the Department of Geriatrics in the College of Medicine; and Oklahoma State University statistics Professor Mark E. Payton.

In the United States, about 8 million women have osteoporosis because of the sudden cessation of ovarian hormone production at the onset of menopause. What's more, about 2 million men also have osteoporosis.

"In the first five to seven postmenopausal years, women are at risk of losing bone at a rate of 3 to 5 percent per year," Arjmandi said. "However, osteoporosis is not exclusive to women and, indeed, around the age of 65, men start losing bone with the same rapidity as women."

Arjmandi encourages people who are interested in maintaining or improving their bone health to take note of the extraordinarily positive effect that dried plums have on bone density.

"Don't wait until you get a fracture or you are diagnosed with osteoporosis and have to have prescribed medicine," Arjmandi said. "Do something meaningful and practical beforehand. People could start eating two to three dried plums per day and increase gradually to perhaps six to 10 per day. Prunes can be eaten in all forms and can be included in a variety of recipes."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture funded Arjmandi's research. The California Dried Plum Board provided the dried plums for the study, as well as some funding to measure markers of oxidative stress.

Boron Boosts Bone Strength

Researchers at the United States Department of Agriculture are proving that the trace mineral boron contributes significantly to bone strength.  Evidence has been building for a number of years that boron is needed for bone health, brain function, and immunity.  In the latest study it was shown that deprivation of boron² in mice resulted in weaker bones that broke easier than bones that were boron adequate.

The boron deprived mice had smaller bones with greater separation in their structure (indicating a weaker bone matrix).  When tested to see how much pressure they could withstand before breaking they broke much more readily than bones adequate in boron.

Bone density is one issue, bone strength is another.  Healthy bones are signified by a microarchitecture that is organized.  It is interesting that bone drugs invariably disturb the microarchitecture of bone, thereby causing weaker and often swollen bone (bone that may even look “bigger" when two-dimensional pictures are taken - like a swollen and sprained ankle is bigger).  Don’t be fooled, bone strength is your bottom line.  Boron is one nutrient that can help – a nutrient your bones need for optinmal strength.