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

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Smart Publications

Health & Wellness Update

 

 

November 20, 2002

 

Dear Friends,

 

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:

1. Seeman, E., et al., " Risk Factors for Spinal Osteoporosis in Men, " Am J Med

75

1983: 977-983

2. Frost, H., " The Pathomechanics of Osteoporosis, " Clin Orthop 200, 1985: 198-

225

3. Fauci, Anthony S., et al. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, Vol. 2.

New

York: McGraw-Hill, 1998.

4. Cleave, T. and G. Campbell, Diabetes, Coronary Thrombosis and the Saccharine

Disease, Bristol: John Wright & Sons, 1969.

5. Appleton, Nancy, " How Sweet It Is or Isn't, " Townsend Letter for Doctors,

June 1992: 497-499.

6. Holl, M.G., and L.H. Allen, " Sucrose ingestion insulin response, and mineral

metabolism in humans, " J Nutr 117.7, 1987: 1229-33.

7. Brown, Susan E., Better Bones, Better Body. Keats Publishing, Inc., New

Canaan, CT. 1996: 129.

8. Matkovic, et al., 'Urinary Calcium, Sodium and bone Mass of Young

Females, " Am J Clin Nutr 62, 1995: 417-425

9. Zaarkadas, M., " Sodium chloride supplementation and urinary calcium

excretion in postmenopausal women, " J Clin Nutr 50.5, 1989: 1088-94.

10. Goulding, A., " Osteoporosis: Why consuming less sodium chloride helps to

conserve bone, " NZ Med J 103, 1990: 120-2.

11. Devine, Amanda, et al., " A Longitudinal Study of the Effect of Sodium and

Calcium Intake on Regional Bone Density in Postmenopausal Women, " Am J

Clin Nutr 62, 1995: 740-5.

12. Massey, L. and P. Hollingbery, " Acute Effects of Dietary Caffeine and

Sucrose

on Urinary Mineral Excretion of Healthy Adolescents, " Nutr Res 8, 1988: 1005-

1012.

13. Massey, L., and T. Berg, " The Effect of Dietary Caffeine on Urinary

Excretion

of Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Sodium, Potassium, chloride and Zinc

in Healthy Males, " Nutr Res 5, 1985: 1281-1284.

14. Hernandez-Avila, Mauricio, et al., " Caffeine, moderate alcohol intake, and

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Nutr 54, 1991: 157-63.

15. Schaafsma A, van Doormaal JJ, Muskiet FA, Hofstede GJ, Pakan I, van der

Veer E. Positive effects of a chicken eggshell powder-enriched vitamin-

mineral supplement on femoral neck bone mineral density in healthy late

post-menopausal Dutch women. Br J Nutr 2002 Mar;87(3):267-75

16. Schaafsma A, Pakan I. Short-term effects of a chicken eggshell powder

enriched dairy-based products on bone mineral density in persons with

osteoporosis or osteopenia. Bratisl Lek Listy,1999 Dec;100(12):651-6

17. Price PA: Vitamin K nutrition and postmenopausal osteoporosis. J Clin Invest

91(4):1268, 1993. Douglas AS et al: Carboxylation of osteocalcin in post-

menopausal osteoporotic women following vitamin K and D

supplementation. Bone 17(1)15-20, 1995

18. Vermeer C et al: Effects of vitamin K on bone mass and bone metabolism. J

Nutr 126(4 Suppl):1187S-91S, 1996.

19. Kaneki M, Mizuno Y, Hosoi T, Inoue S, Hoshino S, Akishita M, Akedo Y,

Horiki K, Nakamura T, Shiraki M, et al.

Serum concentration of vitamin K in elderly women with involutional

osteoporosis [Article in Japanese] Nippon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi 1995

Mar;32(3):195-

200

20. www.altmedicine.com/Article.asp?ID=3328

21. " Isoflavones and calcified tissues " Usp Fiziol Nauk 2002 Apr-Jun;33(2):83-94

22. Picherit C, Coxam V, Bennetau-Pelissero C, Kati-Coulibaly S, Davicco MJ,

Lebecque P, Barlet JP.Daidzein is more efficient than genistein in preventing

ovariectomy-induced bone loss in rats. J Nutr 2000 Jul;130(7):1675-81

23. Gao YH, Yamaguchi M. Anabolic effect of daidzein on cortical bone in tissue

culture: comparison with genistein effect. Mol Cell Biochem 1999 Apr;194(1-

2):93-7

24. Kritz-Silverstein D, Goodman-Gruen DL. Usual dietary isoflavone intake,

bone mineral density, and bone metabolism in postmenopausal women. J

Womens Health Gend Based Med 2002 Jan-Feb;11(1):69-78

25. Brown, Susan E., Better Bones, Better Body. Keats Publishing, Inc., New

Canaan, CT. 1996: 186

26. Prior, Jerilynn C., " Progesterone and the prevention of osteoporosis, " The

Canadian Journal of Ob & Gyn & Women's Health Care 3.4 (1991): 178-184..

27. Lee, John R., Natural Progesterone, third ed. (Sebastopol, CA: BLL

Publishing,

1994) 99.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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