Bone strength improvement with
dietary supplements, natural remedy for bone loss
August 6 2018 by
Ray Sahelian, M.D.
Bone is a type of hard connective tissue found in many vertebrate animals. Bones support body structures, protect internal organs, and (in conjunction with muscles) facilitate movement; are also involved with cell formation, calcium metabolism, and mineral storage. The bones of an animal are, collectively, known as the skeleton. Bone has a different composition than cartilage.
Foods for strong
bones, diet makes a difference
Consider consuming some of the following foods: Milk and dairy products,
sardines, green vegetables such as bok choy, Chinese cabbage, kale, collard and
turnip greens.
Antioxidants (Basel). 2014. Dietary Polyphenols, Berries, and Age-Related Bone Loss: A Review Based on Human, Animal, and Cell Studies. Natural antioxidant supplementation has been researched to aid in reducing bone loss caused by oxidative stress. Naturally occurring polyphenols, such as anthocyanins rich in berries, are known to have anti-oxidative properties. Several studies have been reviewed to determine the impact polyphenol intake-particularly that of berries-has on bone health. Studies reveal a positive association of high berry intake and higher bone mass, implicating berries as possible inexpensive alternatives in reducing the risk of age related bone loss.
J Clin Densitom. 2013; Does a high dietary acid content cause bone loss, and can bone loss be prevented with an alkaline diet? A popular concept in nutrition and lay literature is that of the role of a diet high in acid or protein in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. A diet rich in fruit and vegetable intake is thought to enhance bone health as the result of its greater potassium and lower "acidic" content than a diet rich in animal protein and sodium. Consequently, there have been a number of studies of diet manipulation to enhance potassium and "alkaline" content of the diet to improve bone density or other parameters of bone health. Although acid loading or an acidic diet featuring a high protein intake may be associated with an increase in calciuria, the evidence supporting a role of these variables in the development of osteoporosis is not consistent. Similarly, intervention studies with a more alkaline diet or use of supplements of potassium citrate or bicarbonate have not consistently shown a bone health benefit. In the elderly, inadequate protein intake is a greater problem for bone health than protein excess.
Nutritional
products promoted for bone strength
Boron has been mentioned but little human research is available
Calcium of course
Magnesium may help
Strontium is used
Vitamin K
MBP Osteo with Calcium Advanced Bone Density Support - Formulated using the newest discovery and latest scientific insights in bone health • Combines the breakthrough ingredient MBP (Milk Basic Protein) with key bone nutrients• MBP is shown to support healthy bone density after just six months of use.
Childhood
exercise
Running, jumping and other high impact activities during childhood
benefits bone health by increasing the size and strength of the growing
skeleton. The benefits in bone size and strength induced by
exercise
during growth persist lifelong -- even if exercise is ceased.
Weight-bearing exercises, including weightlifting and high-impact
activities like jumping, build and maintain bone mass.
Bone Density and Androgen Deprivation
Bone mineral density (BMD) decreases during the first 2
years of androgen deprivation therapy in men with prostate cancer.
Dr. Morote and colleagues from Vall d'Hebron Hospital, Autonoma University
School of Medicine, Barcelona, Spain evaluated the dynamics of BMD in the lumbar
spine and four hip sites over a 2-year period in 62 men with locally advanced
nonmetastatic prostate cancer.
Men receiving androgen deprivation therapy experienced bone mineral density losses ranging from 2% to 5%
at all analyzed locations at 12 months. Bone mineral density did not change
significantly in men not on androgen suppression.
The area that best reflected the ADT-induced bone loss was Ward's triangle,a region between the principal compressive group of the
femoral head and the principal tensile group and the secondary compressive group
of the femoral neck.
A DEXA scan of the wrist may not accurately reflect the greatest extent of bone
loss which may lead to a delay in appropriate treatment. Journal of Urology 2006.
In the year following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), bone
mineral content declines significantly in men. A decline in bone mineral density
increases the risk of bone fracture.
Measuring bone mineral density
Several methods
are available to measure bone density, but currently the most widely used
technique is DEXA (Dual Energy Xray Absorptiometry). Older methods such as
single photon absorptiometry do not predict hip fractures as well as DEXA. Three
companies manufacture these densitometers: Hologic, Norland, and Lunar.
Repeat bone density testing in middle-aged and older adults can be
delayed for intervals of up to 5 to 7 years if they don't have risk factors for
bone loss.
Bone density
The high-impact tumbling of gymnastics increases young girls' muscle mass and
bone density. The more time young men spend engaging in high-impact physical
exercise, the greater their bone mineral density.
Bone density with high impact exercise
Men who want to keep their bones strong may want to add running to their
exercise routine. In a study of 42 athletic men ages 19 to 45, researchers found
that running seemed to have even bigger benefits for bone mass than strength
training did. Both runners and weight trainers had greater bone density in the
spine compared with road cyclists, but much of the benefit in weight trainers
seemed to stem from their greater muscle mass. In contrast, running appeared to
build bone density regardless of the men's muscle mass. Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research, 2009.
Sun exposure
Women who get some sun during the last trimester of pregnancy may have children
with stronger bones. Bone mass acquired earlier in life is important to fracture
risk in later years. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, March
2009.
Bone density loss with weight reduction
When people lose weight, they often lose some bone mass as well. Changes
in bone metabolism may persist even after the weight loss stops. Even after
dieters stop shedding pounds and enter a "weight maintenance" phase, changes in
bone turnover remains. To counteract the bone loss, regular exercise and weight
training is essential.
New findings call into question the idea that being overweight or obese might protect people from developing brittle bones. Dr. Jean-Marc Kaufman of Ghent University Hospital in Belgium and his colleagues found that fattier men had smaller, thinner bones, while those with more lean mass had larger, denser skeletons.High body mass index (BMI) has been thought to protect both men and women against the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, while being thin boosts a person's likelihood of fractures due to this condition. The idea behind the theory is that extra weight stresses the bone, stimulating the formation of new bone tissue.But new evidence suggests that fat mass might affect bones differently than muscle mass does, Kaufman and his team note in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.To investigate the issue further, the researchers looked at bone density and volume, as well as lean and fat mass, in 768 men aged 25 to 45, including 296 pairs of brothers.After the researchers adjusted for weight, they found that men's bone mass and volume fell steadily as their percentage of fat mass increased, while bone size rose in tandem with lean mass. Fat in the trunk area had a stronger influence on bone size than fat on the arms and legs."Lean mass," the researchers conclude, "is the major determinant of bone size, providing further evidence that bone size is adapted to the dynamic load imposed by muscle force rather than passive loading" by fat. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2009.
Astronauts lose bone strength
Astronauts on long-term missions in space have a decline in bone strength once
they return to Earth. Researchers found that 13 astronauts who spent 4 to 6
months on the International Space Station showed significant dips in bone
strength around the hip. A few had strength reductions comparable to those seen
over a lifetime in people who keep their feet on Earth. Bone 2009.
Premenopausal women
Young women who eat a typical high protein Western diet need not worry that
their protein consumption will harm their bone health. A higher intake of
protein does not have a deleterious effect on bone density in premenopausal
women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, March 2010.
How often to take a bone test
Repeat bone mineral density testing up to 8 years after the initial bone test
does not improve the ability of doctors to predict fractures in older women. Dr.
Teresa A. Hillier, from Kaiser Permanente Northwest/Hawaii in Portland, Oregon,
and colleagues assessed the predictive ability of repeat bone mineral density
testing in 4,124 women with an average age of 72 years. Bone mineral density
testing was first performed from 1989 to 1990 and then again 8 years later.
During an average follow-up period of over 5 years after the second bone mineral
density test, 877 women sustained a nontraumatic nonspine
fracture and 340
sustained a spine fracture. Adding a second bone mineral density test did not
improve the predictive ability of the first for future fracture. This held true
even after adjusting for initial bone mineral density scores, hormonal therapy,
or high bone loss. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2007.
Smoking and Bone Healing
Exposure to cigarette smoke delays the early phases of bone and ligament
repair in mice. Dr. Linda J. Sandell and colleagues from Washington University
School of Medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri investigated
the effects of cigarette smoke exposure on early events in bone fracture
healing, especially cartilage formation. Mice were randomly assigned to a
control group or to a group in which they were exposed to smoke in a chamber for
6 days per week for a month, before experiment leg fracture under anesthesia.
Smoking significantly reduced cartilage formation, an important step in bone
healing. By day 14 after bone fracture, the cartilage was still developing in
the smoke-exposed animals, whereas it had already been replaced by bone in the
normal controls. In the second study, the same team of researchers investigated
whether smoking cigarettes would interfere with the ability of mice to
synthesize support tissue at the site of ligament injury. Ligaments are tough
fibrous bands that hold bone to bone, whereas tendons are bands that hold muscle
to bone. Synthesis of the support tissue needed for ligament repair was
significantly delayed in the animals exposed to smoke. Journal of Orthopedic
Research, December 2006.
Bone mass and cycling, biking
Compared with men who run, men whose prim0o-ary physical activity is bicycling are
much more likely to have low bone density in the hips or spine. In general,
cyclists have lower bone mass throughout the body and a higher incidence of osteopenia in the spine or hip. Osteopenia refers to abnormally low bone mass
that could progress to the brittle-bone disease osteoporosis. Running, jumping
and other weight-bearing activities put the bones under stress. This forces the
bones to respond by becoming stronger; whereas low-impact exercise, like biking
or swimming, works the heart and trims the waistline, but puts little strain on
the bones. Metabolism, 2007.
Hip bone fracture protection
Padded undergarments meant to protect against hip bone fractures could
help elderly adults stay out of the nursing home, and cut healthcare costs along
the way. The garments, known as hip protectors, are designed to cushion a fall,
which for elderly adults -- particularly those with osteoporosis -- can lead to
a disabling hip bone fractures. Widely used in Europe, hip protectors are less
popular in North America, though, several studies have suggested they can prevent
bone fractures and save medical costs although other studies have disputed these
claims.
Questions
Q. Seems bone broth is all the rage but I don't see anything about it on your
website. Maybe because it's all hype? What are your thoughts on bone broth for
tendon repair?
A. I have not seen enough research on this topic to have an
informed opinion regarding the benefits of bone broth for tendon repair.
Osteopontin plays roles in a variety of cellular processes from bone resorption and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling to immune cell activation and inhibition of apoptosis.