Osteoporosis: Are you getting the nutrition you need to prevent it?

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http://www.hfn-usa.com/articles/021119-calcium.html

 

Smart Publications Health & Wellness Update

Bone health involves a lot more than just taking any old calcium supplement.

You have to take the right one, with the right combination of nutrients to

prevent osteoporosis. You also have to eat well and exercise regularly. That

includes women and men, because although osteoporosis is often considered a

woman's disease, men are far from immune to it.

 

And if you think osteoporosis is something you don't have to worry about

until you're old and gray, you couldn't be more wrong. Because by the time

you reach the ripe old age of 40-whether you're a man or woman-you'll begin

to lose two percent of your bone mass each year!

 

But you can do something about it now! Even if you've been taking a calcium

supplement for years, I urge you to read our report on bone health. You'll

discover the most crucial nutrients in the right form, for building and

strengthening bone mass- including daidzein, an isoflavonoid found in

soy-scientifically proven to help prevent one of the most devastating

diseases of our time-osteoporosis.

 

In good health,

 

John Morgenthaler

 

Click here to read...

 

Osteoporosis: Are you getting the nutrition you need to prevent it?

 

Osteoporosis kills women and men It's a well known fact that one out of two

women older than age 50 suffers an osteoporosis-related fracture during her

lifetime. Complications from these fractures are a major killer of women. 12

to 28 percent of women 65 or older have the disease, and more than 80

percent of the 28 million who are affected are women.

 

Osteoporosis affects about two million men, and another three million men

are at risk.

 

But osteoporosis is not restricted to women. Although osteoporosis research

of men remains inadequate and a large number of men remain undiagnosed, it

is estimated that osteoporosis affects about two million American men.

Another three million men may be at risk due to decreased bone density. One

in eight men over age 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in his

lifetime. In fact, each year men suffer one third of all the hip fractures

that occur, and one third of these men will not survive more than a year. In

addition to hip fractures, men also experience painful and debilitating

fractures of the spine, wrist, and other bones due to osteoporosis. And

older men suffer many more rib fractures than elderly women. 1

 

Research has shown that a healthy diet, exercise and dietary supplementation

can reduce the risk of and help prevent osteoporosis.

 

The good news is that osteoporosis is preventable . and even after bone mass

density is lost, the condition can be reversed with certain minerals and

nutrients. Cultivating good eating and exercise habits, and supplementing

your diet with a bone- supporting dietary supplement can make all the

difference.

 

What Causes Osteoporosis? In the human body, there is a constant process of

breaking down and remaking of bones. Cross-cultural studies show that,

throughout the world, most people lose bone mass as they age. 2 After age 40

to 50, men lose 20 to 30 percent of their total bone mass, and women lose as

much as 40 to 50 percent. 3 Generally, though, the remaining bone is healthy

and able to repair itself. This is considered normal aging. When the rate of

bone breakdown exceeds that of bone being manufactured it can result in

osteoporosis.

 

Osteoporosis means " porous bones, " and is used to describe any disease that

reduces bone mass, and results in fragile, thin bones, loss of height, lower

back, wrist and spine fractures, or dowager's hump (forward bending of the

spine in the upper back). We may notice that our grandparents and our

parents are not as tall as they used to be, and eventually we may lose an

inch or two ourselves. This is abnormal aging, and according to Susan Brown

(Better Bones, Better Body), the major culprit of bone loss mass stems from

a lifetime of poor dietary and exercise habits.

 

The typical American diet promotes osteoporosis Americans are notorious for

consuming large amounts of processed foods, soft drinks, coffee and foods

that are high in sodium and sugar. These foods promote osteoporosis by

stripping the bones of the calcium they need to stay strong.

 

Here are some interesting food facts included in Susan Brown's Better Bones,

Better Body, that will hopefully make you think twice before the next time

you reach for a six-pack of soda pop, bag of cookies or cup of coffee: . In

the past 100 years, our sugar intake has increased over 1000 times! Evidence

shows that high sugar intake contributes to a wide range of degenerative

diseases, including diabetes, arthritis, tooth decay, heart disease and

osteoporosis. 4, 5 . When sugar is combined with caffeine, as in coffee or

soft drinks, even more calcium is excreted. 6 . Sugar consumption stimulates

the stomach's production of hydrochloric acid. This adds to the overall

acidic imbalance of the body, which is a contributing factor to bone loss. 7

.. High salt intake causes the body to excrete calcium in the urine, thus

contributing to osteoporosis in both the young and old. 8, 9, 10 . An

Australian study found that hip bone loss could be halted in women 10 years

or more past menopause, by either lowering urine sodium excretion to 2110 mg

a day or by increasing calcium intake to 1768 mg per day. 11 . Caffeine

consumption has been found to lower blood calcium and increase parathyroid

hormone, both of which signals the body to draw calcium from the bones. 11,

12 In fact, women who drink four cups of coffee a day triple the risk of hip

fracture, compared to women who rarely drink coffee. 13

 

Your bones provide structural support for muscles, protect vital organs, and

store the calcium essential for bone density and strength. Give them the

nutrients they need . to serve you throughout your life.

 

Why is supplementation important? Many of us - young and old - suffer from

calcium deficiency in our diets. This may show up as arm and leg muscle

spasms, back and leg cramps, poor growth, osteoporosis, tooth decay, or

depression. Calcium deficiency is most prevalent in women who have had

children and have never supplemented their own diets with calcium. Experts

believe that 33% of all women will develop osteoporosis severe enough to

cause a broken bone.

 

Most nutrition experts agree that food is our best source of vitamins and

minerals. But, because of our hectic lifestyles, it's almost impossible to

rely on food for all the nutrition our bodies need to stay healthy and

strong. Research has shown that, due to a steady decline in the nutritional

quality of our food, even an adequate diet might not enable us to maintain

the vitamin and mineral balance required to avoid related health problems.

 

What Should You Take? Doctors recommend getting 1,000 to 1,200 mg of calcium

in your diet daily. Most Americans don't even come close. Unless you're

eating plenty of calcium-rich foods and vegetables, chances are you're not

getting this amount from your diet, and are inadvertently suffering from a

calcium deficiency.

 

But calcium alone isn't enough. You need to combine it with other proven

nutrients to help your body absorb and assimilate the calcium.

 

Supplement your diet with nutrients to make sure you're getting the

daily-required minimum of calcium in order to slow down bone loss. And start

early. Whether you're in your teens or 70s, man or woman, now is the time to

increase your calcium intake and aid your body in building and maintaining

healthy bone mass.

 

The key is to take a superior form of calcium with added minerals and

vitamins. For calcium to actually strengthen bone it must be consumed along

with several other nutrients. Phosphorus is particularly important, and

magnesium, boron, and vitamins D and K are also needed for bone metabolism.

Also, daidzein, a compound found in soy and other legumes, has recently been

shown to stimulate bone formation and mineralization.

 

What's the best form of calcium? Recently, calcium from chicken eggshell was

shown to be superior for building bone mass when compared to calcium

carbonate. Eggshell calcium is low in heavy metals like lead, cadmium,

mercury and aluminum. It is also a good source of strontium, a rare mineral,

which, along with calcium, plays a vital role in bone health.

 

Several Dutch studies have shown that chicken eggshell powder has a

beneficial effect on bone density in people with osteoporosis and osteopenia

(bone thinning). The most recent study published this past March, 2002

indicates that healthy late post-menopausal women, who had been getting

adequate calcium to begin with, increased their bone mass density of the hip

within 12 months of supplementation with a chicken eggshell powder-enriched

calcium supplement. The group of women who received a placebo lost bone mass

density. 14

 

An earlier 1999 pilot study indicated that a chicken eggshell- powder

enriched dairy-based supplement increased the bone mass density in

participants who had osteoporosis or osteopenia. Over a period of four

months, the group took a supplement containing eggshell powder, vitamin D

and magnesium. Within the four to eight month period, all participants

experienced a significant increase in bone mass in the lumbar spine, femur

and trochanter

(lower leg), and within a period of four months, the participants reported a

reduction in pain and a general improvement in how they felt. The women in

the control group, however, experienced a significant decrease in bone mass

density over the same eight- month period. The study concluded that the

supplement helped build up bone mass in the short term, and as a consequence

delays bone demineralization over a longer period. 15

 

.. Vitamin D plays a pivotal role in bone building, allowing the body to

absorb calcium, and for maintaining the proper balance of calcium and

phosphorus. You could take calcium all day long, and if you are not getting

the proper amount of vitamin D with your calcium, you will not be able to

absorb it properly. Vitamin D can be formed in the skin when it is exposed

to sunlight. It is also added to milk. However, many people do not produce

enough vitamin D or get enough from food. Vitamin D deficiency can be a

problem for older people and those who are homebound or bed- ridden.

 

.. Vitamin K has recently been identified as an important nutrient in bone

health. According to Sarah Booth, at the Vitamin K Laboratory at the Jean

Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in

Boston, vitamin K activates at least three proteins involved in bone health.

Several studies have indicated that low vitamin K levels are associated with

risk for osteoporosis and bone fractures, and that supplementation with

vitamin K increases bone mass and mineralization of the bone matrix. 16, 17,

18, 19

 

.. Boron is important in preventing calcium loss, as it improves calcium

absorption and reduces the amount of calcium excreted in the urine.

 

.. Phosphorus is the second most prevalent mineral in bones and makes up more

than half the mass of bone mineral. Thus, the diet needs to have sufficient

phosphorus in order to have healthy bones. Inadequate levels of phosphorus

in the diet may be more widespread than previously thought, especially in

the elderly and in people who eat little meat.

 

Researchers recently completed a detailed study on the co- dependence of

calcium and phosphorus on growth and bone development, which they presented

at the National Osteoporosis Foundation Fifth International Symposium held

March 9, 2002. The presentation detailed how bone disease can develop when

calcium and phosphorus are not balanced and within good levels. When

phosphorus is too high, the body takes calcium out of the bones to bind with

the phosphorus and remove it from the blood. Bones become brittle as a

result.

 

The balance of calcium and phosphorus can especially impact women over 60,

whose diets often contain less than the recommended dietary allowance of 700

mg of phosphorus. According to one of the researchers, Dr. Heaney, a

scientist at Creighton University's Osteoporosis Research Center, " For these

women, the usual calcium supplement, calcium carbonate, may block most of

the absorption of phosphorus. If this happens, the calcium won't do much

good because bone mineral consists of both calcium and phosphorus. "

 

On the other hand, eggshell calcium naturally contains a small amount of

phosphorus, which contributes to, rather than blocks the absorption of

calcium.

 

Another presenter, Dr. Shapiro of Product Safety Laboratories in Dayton, New

Hampshire said, " Both calcium and phosphorus are needed to support an

increase in bone mass. If the diet is low in phosphorus, calcium

supplementation alone will be inadequate, and may aggravate a phosphorus

deficiency. A phosphorus- containing calcium source would seem to be

preferable to one providing calcium alone. " 20

 

So not only is it important that a bone-building supplement contain eggshell

calcium that enhances calcium absorption, but it should also contain 25% of

the required daily index (RDI) of phosphorus.

 

.. Magnesium is essential for proper calcium absorption and is an important

mineral in the bone matrix. It has specific effects on the parathyroid

hormone, which helps regulate proper calcium metabolism.

 

.. Daidzein is an isoflavonoid found in soy. Soy has become very popular

lately for its bone health properties. Few people realize that soy contains

both daidzein and genistein, two isoflavonoids or phytoestrogens. Recent

research has shown that daidzein is more effective and less toxic than

genistein. But until recently, pure daidzein has not been available as a

dietary supplement. The other soy component, genistein, has recently raised

concerns over its potential negative effects on immune function, brain

function and DNA repair. Daidzein doesn't share these negative effects, and

is more effective than genistein at building bone.

 

Daidzein, which is also a phytoestrogen-a hormone-like bioregulator of plant

origin-has been shown to help maintain bone health without the harmful side

effects related to estrogen.

 

How do hormones effect bone health? Hormones play an important role in

maintaining bone mass. Once women reach menopause and hormone levels

decline, bone loss escalates. Rapid bone loss continues for about five years

during menopause, and can reach three to four percent of total bone mass.

This surge of bone loss eventually tapers off after a few years, and is

about equal to the amount of bone loss in men of the same age. But the loss

of bone minerals continues throughout the rest of a person's life-which is

one of the reasons there is a lot of excitement about research into

daidzein's ability to help stimulate bone formation and mineralization in

the same way that hormones do.

 

Animal experiments as well as bone-tissue and bone-cell-culture

investigations have demonstrated daidzein's effect on bone metabolism. Also,

daidzein has been shown to enhance bone formation, and help prevent and

treat osteoporosis in elderly women. 21, 22, 23, 24

 

Progesterone Promotes Bone Health There's been a lot of discussion lately

about the controversy of hormone replacement therapy. Yet, natural

progesterone has been proven time and time again to be safe and effective

for promoting bone health and balancing problems associated with estrogen

dominance. Click here to read more about how women can balance their

hormones safely and effectively: " The Shocking Truth about Hormone

Replacement Therapy "

 

Osteoblasts, the bone-building cells, contain progesterone receptors and

this hormone appears to directly encourage bone building. Also, during the

reproductive years, progesterone works with estrogen to conserve calcium

within the body and limit the withdrawal of calcium from the bones. 24

 

In 1991, when Dr. Jerilynn Prior of British Colombia was studying young

women athletes, she inadvertently discovered that many of these seemingly

normal and healthy athletes had abnormal menstrual periods and were not

ovulating. Why? Because they all suffered from a progesterone deficiency.

The hormone deficiency was also linked to excessive bone loss. Progesterone

supplementation alleviated the menstrual irregularities and corrected the

excessive bone loss. 25

 

In postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, natural progesterone

supplementation has also been shown to rebuild substantial amounts of lost

bone. Dr. John R. Lee has researched the value of estrogens and progesterone

for building bone tissue after menopause. His research clearly shows that

natural progesterone replacement leads to new bone formation, actively

increasing bone mass and density. 26

 

So play it safe. Think of your bones as a savings account. There is only as

much bone mass in your account as you deposit, so you want to build as much

bone in your early years as possible.

 

And start early. Whether you're in your teens or 70s, man or woman, now is

the time to increase your calcium intake and aid your body in building and

maintaining healthy bone mass.

 

References:

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