The latest statistics describe that Osteoporosis affects over 44 million people in the US.Most of these are women, but a few million are men. The prevalence rate is about 1 in 9, and there are probably close to 30 million undiagnosed. It has been reported in all backgrounds and nationalities, and is an extreme burden on individuals and health care cost when fractures occur.
It can strike at any age, and bones can begin deteriorating as early as in the 30's.
The disease is characterized by low bone mass, weakening and porous bone structure. This leads to fragility and ease of fracture. The hip, spine and wrist are the most common areas of concern. A greater worry is when the fracture occurs, and the individual is disabled he or she needs to spend a great deal of time in the hospital setting. Here, a surgical procedure might be necessary, as well as protracted in patient physical therapy. Any hospital admission, especially for the elderly, brings the risks of potential infection, adverse reaction to anesthesia and medication, and progression of other existing disease.
Therefore, we need to do everything we can to help prevent the occurrence.
My recommendations involve:
- Blood testing for Vitamin and Mineral levels — appropriate amounts of calcium, boron magnesium, strontium help strengthen bone. A multi source cal / mag is best.
- Combined Aerobic and Weight resistance exercise — This will enhance blood flow to all of the tissues delivering nutrients and hormones.
- Blood Testing for Hormones — Testing for Growth Hormone, Estrogen, Progesterone, DHEA, Thyroid , Testosterone is important, as is correction with bioidentical plant extracts.
- Use of Ipraflavone — This is a natural soy based extract that research has described is beneficial for bone stability.
All of these are essential to help maximize bone strength and stability. Blood testing is crucial because it will tell of deficiency that must be corrected. Remember that this disease begins and rapidly progresses with hormone and nutrient deficiency.
Here are a few good articles:
Thanks, Dr. Chris Calapai
Cardiovascular and renal benefits of dry bean and soybean intake.
Dry beans and soybeans are nutrient-dense, fiber-rich, and are high-quality sources of protein. Protective and therapeutic effects of both dry bean and soybean intake have been documented. Studies show that dry bean intake has the potential to decrease serum cholesterol concentrations, improve many aspects of the diabetic state, and provide metabolic benefits that aid in weight control.
Soybeans are a unique source of the isoflavones genistein and diadzein, which have numerous biological functions. Soybeans and soyfoods potentially have multifaceted health-promoting effects, including cholesterol reduction, improved vascular health, preserved bone mineral density, and reduction of menopausal symptoms. Soy appears to have salutary effects on renal function, although these effects are not well understood.
Whereas populations consuming high intakes of soy have lower prevalences of certain cancers, definitive experimental data are insufficient to clarify a protective role of soy. The availability of legume products and resources is increasing, incorporating dry beans and soyfoods into the diet can be practical and enjoyable. With the shift toward a more plant-based diet, dry beans and soy will be potent tools in the treatment and prevention of chronic disease.
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/70/3/464S
Calcium and osteoporosis.
Skeletal size and mass are genetically programmed. Optimum skeletal size can be attained if the nutrient supply, ie, calcium, is ample, but the age-dependent decrease in skeletal mass that begins in the third decade cannot be arrested by adequate calcium intake alone. The decrease in skeletal mass is primarily caused by the age-dependent decrease in gonadal hormones.
The dramatic drop in hormones in menopause is associated with a sharp decrease in trabecular bone and a slower decrease in cortical bone. In men this decrease is gradual. Replacement therapy with gonadal hormones can markedly slow this decrease in bone mass, provided calcium intake is adequate. Soluble forms of calcium are preferred to ensure adequate calcium absorption.
Vitamin D supplementation beyond the recommended dietary allowance does not appear beneficial in osteoporosis, but may be so in cases of senile hyperparathyroidism. Calculations based on bone calcium turnover indicate that the recommended dietary allowance for calcium is adequate for boys and men, but is insufficient for adolescent girls.
Calcium intake by women is probably too low to slow bone calcium turnover to its programmed minimum. Adequate calcium intake in childhood and adolescence is essential to attain the optimal bone mass and size.
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/60/6/831
Magnesium deficiency-induced osteoporosis in the rat: uncoupling of bone formation and bone resorption.
Magnesium (Mg) intake has been linked to bone mass and/or rate of bone loss in humans. Experimental Mg deficiency in animal models has resulted in impaired bone growth, osteopenia, and increased skeletal fragility. In order to assess changes in bone and mineral homeostasis that may be responsible, we induced dietary Mg deficiency in adult Simonsen albino rats for 16 weeks.
Rats were fed either a low Mg diet (0.002 percent) or a normal control Mg diet (0.063 percent). Blood was obtained at baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 16 weeks in both groups for serum Mg, calcium, PTH, and 1.25(OH)2-vitamin D determinations. Femora were harvested at 4 weeks and 16 weeks for mineral analysis and histomorphometry. Serum Mg fell in the Mg depleted group to 0.6 mg/dl (mean) by 16 weeks (controls = 2.0 mg/dl). The serum calcium (Ca) concentration was higher in the Mg depleted animals at 16 weeks, 10.8 mg/dl (controls = 8.9 mg/dl). Serum PTH concentration fell progressively in the Mg deficient rats to 30 pg/ml by week 16 (control = 96 pg/ml).
Serum concentration of 1.25(OH)2-vitamin D also fell progressively in the Mg deficient animals by 16 weeks to 14 pg/ml (control = 30 pg/ml). While the percent ash weights of Ca and phosphorus in the femur were not different at any time point, the percent ash weight of Mg progressively fell to 0.54 percent vs control (0.74 percent) by 16 weeks. The percent ash weight of potassium also fell progressively in the Mg deficient group to approximately 30 percent of control by 16 weeks. Histomorphometric analyses showed a significant drop in trabecular bone volume in Mg deficient animals by 16 weeks (percent BV/TV = 13.2 percent vs 17.3 percent in controls).
Evaluation of the endosteal bone surface features showed significantly greater bone resorption in the Mg depleted group as reflected in increased number of tartrate-resistant positive osteoclasts/mm bone surface (7.8 vs 4.0 in controls) and an elevated percent of bone surface occupied by osteoclasts (percent OcS/BS = 12.2 percent vs 6.7 percent in controls.
This increased resorption occurred in the presence of an inappropriate lowered bone forming surface relative to controls; a decreased number of osteoblasts per mm bone surface (0.23 vs 0.94 in control) and a decrease in percent trabecular surface lined by osteoid (percent OS/BS = 0.41 vs 2.27 percent in controls) were also noted. Our findings demonstrate a Mg-deficiency induced uncoupling of bone formation and bone resorption resulting in a loss of bone mass.
While the fall in PTH and/or 1.25(OH)2-D may explain a decrease in osteoblast activity, the mechanism for increased osteoclast activity is unclear. These data suggest that Mg deficiency may be a risk factor for osteoporosis.
The role of vitamins in the prevention of osteoporosis–a brief status report.
This papers summarizes the main role vitamins are believed to play in the prevention of osteoporosis, a common disease which is anticipated to rapidly increase because of the aging of the population. Vitamin D, the classical vitamin related to bone health, improves bone strength mainly by increasing intestinal calcium absorption and reabsorption of calcium by the kidney. Several intervention studies demonstrated in humans that vitamin D can improve bone status as measured by bone density. Vitamin C is considered an essential cofactor of collagen formation.
Epidemiological studies report a positive association between vitamin C intake and bone density. Intervention studies on the effect of vitamin C on bone status are missing. Vitamin B6 could function as a cofactor to build up cross-links. In humans, however, there is little evidence to support this. Vitamin K is required for the biological activity of several coagulation factors; the classical function of vitamin K. Recent research also points to a role of vitamin K in bone metabolism.
Vitamin K mediates the <–carboxylation of glutamyl residues on several bone proteins, notably osteocalcin. Epidemiological studies and results from first intervention trials are consistently suggesting that vitamin K may improve bone health.
Calcium and vitamin D nutrition and bone disease of the elderly.
Osteoporosis, a systemic skeletal disease characterized by a low bone mass, is a major public health problem in EC member states because of the high incidence of fragility fractures, especially hip and vertebral fracture. In EC member states the high incidence of osteoporotic fractures leads to considerable mortality, morbidity, reduced mobility and decreased quality of life. In 1995 the number of hip fractures in 15 countries of EC has been 382.000 and the estimated total care cost of about 9 billion of ECUs.
Given the magnitude of the problem public health measures are important for preventive intervention.Skeletal bone mass is determined by a combination of endogenous (genetic, hormonal) and exogenous (nutritional, physical activity) factors. Nutrition plays an important role in bone health. The two nutrients essential for bone health are calcium and vitamin D. Reduced supplies of calcium are associated with a reduced bone mass and osteoporosis, whereas a chronic and severe vitamin D deficiency leads to osteomalacia, a metabolic bone disease characterized by a decreased mineralization of bone.
Vitamin D insufficiency, the preclinical phase of vitamin D deficiency, is most commonly found in the elderly. The major causes of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are decreased renal hydroxylation of vitamin D, poor nutrition, scarce exposition to sunlight and a decline in the synthesis of vitamin D in the skin.The daily average calcium intake in Europe has been evaluated in the SENECA study concerning the diet of elderly people from 19 towns of 10 European countries. In about one third of subjects the dietary calcium intake results were very low, between 300 and 600 mg/day in women, and 350 and 700 mg/day in men. Calcium supplements reduce the rate of bone loss in osteoporotic patients.
Some recent studies have reported a significant positive effect of calcium treatment not only on bone mass but also on fracture incidence. The SENECA study, has also shown that vitamin D insufficiency is frequent in elderly populations in Europe. There are a number of studies on the effects of vitamin D supplementation on bone loss in the elderly, showing that supplementations with daily doses of 400–800 IU of vitamin D, given alone or in combination with calcium, are able to reverse vitamin D insufficiency, to prevent bone loss and to improve bone density in the elderly.In recent years, there has been much uncertainty about the intake of calcium for various ages and physiological states.
In 1998, the expert committee of the European Community in the Report on Osteoporosis-Action on prevention, has given the recommended daily dietary allowances (RDA) for calcium at all stage of life. For the elderly population, above age 65 the RDA is 700–800 mg/day. The main source of calcium in the diet are dairy products (milk, yoghurts and cheese) fish (sardines with bones), few vegetables and fruits. The optimal way to achieve adequate calcium intake is through the diet. However, when dietary sources are scarce or not well tolerated, calcium supplementation may be used.
Calcium is generally well tolerated and reports of significant side-effects are rare.Adequate sunlight exposure may prevent and cure vitamin D insufficiency. However, the sunlight exposure or the ultraviolet irradiation are limited by concern about skin cancer and skin disease. The most rational approach to reducing vitamin D insufficiency is supplementation. In Europe, the RDA is 400–800 IU (10–20 g) daily for people aged 65 years or over.
This dose is safe and free of side effects.In conclusion, in Europe a low calcium intake and a suboptimal vitamin D status are very common in the elderly. Evidence supports routine supplementation for these people at risk of osteoporosis, by providing a daily intake of 700–800 mg of calcium and 400–800 IU of vitamin D. This is an effective, safe and cheap means of preventing osteoporotic fractures.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cabi/phn/2001/00000004/I02B00s2/art00011
Studies on the relationship between boron and magnesium which possibly affects the formation and maintenance of bones.
Recent findings are reviewed indicating that changes in dietary boron and magnesium affect calcium, and thus bone, metabolism in animals and humans. In animals, the need for boron was found to be enhanced when they needed to respond to a nutritional stress which adversely affected calcium metabolism, including magnesium deficiency. A combined deficiency of boron and magnesium caused detrimental changes in the bones of animals.
However, boron deprivation did not seem to enhance the requirement for magnesium. In two human studies, boron deprivation caused changes in variables associated with calcium metabolism in a manner that could be construed as being detrimental to bone formation and maintenance; these changes apparently were enhanced by low dietary magnesium.
Changes caused by boron deprivation included depressed plasma ionized calcium and calcitonin as well as elevated plasma total calcium and urinary excretion of calcium. In one human study, magnesium deprivation depressed plasma ionized calcium and cholesterol. Because boron and/or magnesium deprivation causes changes similar to those seen in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis, these elements are apparently needed for optimal calcium metabolism and are thus needed to prevent the excessive bone loss which often occurs in postmenopausal women and older men.
Look at Optimal Health Products
CM (multisource calcium / magnesium)
Osteo Plus (Ipraflavone)