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Get safe, natural support
by Carol Ferguson
Weight training helps increase bone mineral density.
Long considered a risk-free prescription drug, Fosamax
and other bisphosphonate medications have been linked
to osteonecrosis (death of bone tissue) in the jaw.
Initially researchers believed that this condition occurred
only with intravenous bisphosphonates in cancer treatment,
but new evidence links jaw problems with oral bisphosphonates,
an increasingly popular way to prevent or slow osteoporosis.
The American Dental Association now recommends a comprehensive
oral exam before or right after anyone begins taking
Fosamax or similar drugs.
About Osteoporosis
The human skeleton is in a constant state of regeneration,
as bones break down and rebuild. Hormones, organs like
the kidneys and liver, and our immune system all work
together to ensure that bone is maintained. Best discovered
through a bone scan, “porous” bone—or
osteoporosis—occurs when bone breaks down more
quickly than the body can rebuild it. This “silent”
condition afflicts close to 30 million people—and
more than 80 percent of them are women.
Risk factors for osteoporosis include
• genetic heritage (especially among those of
Asian or northern European background)
• corticosteroid use and side effects of other
drugs (blood-thinners, diuretics, and more)
• thyroid disease (thyroxin activates bone breakdown)
• smoking, which increases inflammatory factors
promoting bone loss
• small, thin build
• sedentary lifestyle
• low stomach acid, making calcium absorption
difficult
• early menopause
• high-caffeine, high-sugar intake
• stressful lifestyle or Type A personality
• no pregnancies.
Estrogen helps prevent bone loss and protects the
body from excessive secretion of inflammatory cytokines,
which pull calcium from the bone. Stress causes bone
to break down faster than it can be replaced and also
lowers levels of antiaging and immune-balancing DHEA.
Go Natural
A healthy diet—throughout the lifespan—is
critical to strong bones. Sadly, many young people today
fail to get enough bone-building nutrients from dairy
and green, leafy vegetables. Consumption of soft drinks,
which lowers calcium levels and raises phosphate levels,
also weakens bone. Even salty processed foods threaten
bone health.
To protect your skeleton, maintain a balanced protein
intake (50 grams daily for 138-pound women and 63 grams
for 174-pound men). Enjoy broccoli, canned salmon (including
the bones), leafy greens, sesame and sunflower seeds,
and organic yogurt. Also consider vegetable-based protein
sources, including legumes. Increase your intake of
fermented soy (miso, soy sauce, and tempeh).
Get active! Regular workouts—especially weight-bearing
exercises like stair-climbing, hiking, jogging, skiing,
and weight-training—help preserve bone mass and
even increase bone mineral density. If you already have
bone loss, add balance and posture exercises. But don’t
overexert yourself: Too much exercise can suppress hormonal
and immune balance, actually leading to osteoporosis.
Bone-Building Supplements
In addition to a daily iron-free multiple, take calcium
in divided doses with meals throughout the day and at
bedtime. Nutrition expert Lorna R. Vanderhaeghe recommends
1,000 to 1,500 mg total each day, in balance with other
bone-strengthening minerals. You need at least half
as much magnesium as calcium to guarantee absorption
of bone-building nutrients, she explains.
Besides a 2:1 calcium to magnesium ratio, other protective
minerals include
• boron (also available in broccoli powder), 3
to 5 mg daily, which mimics estrogen’s benefits
and reduces calcium excretion
• silicon, 12 to 25 mg daily, for the formation
of bone collagen
• manganese, 15 to 30 mg daily
• zinc, 15 to 20 mg daily.
Vitamin K, found in leafy greens, boosts production
of osteocalcin, useful for bone mineralization and strength:
Take 150 micrograms daily. Soy isoflavone supplements
(100 mg) significantly increased bone mineral density
in a recent randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled
study. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids, quercetin,
and turmeric help reduce inflammation associated with
calcium loss.
Some experts find that ipriflavone (available in alfalfa
and bee propolis) stimulates the secretion and synthesis
of calcitonin from the thyroid, as well as aiding bone
formation and density. The subject of more than 60 clinical
studies, this supplement appears more effective than
the prescription drug calcitonin at decreasing fracture
rates, and it inhibits inflammation that pulls calcium
from bones. “No bone rebuilding program should
be without ipriflavone,” adds Vanderhaeghe. TFL
Selected Sources
- An A-Z Woman’s Guide to Vibrant Health by Lorna
R. Vanderhaeghe ($10.95, Health Ventures, 2004)
- Drug for Bones Is Newly Linked to Jaw Disease”
by Gina Kolata, New York Times, 6/2/06
- Effects of Soy Isoflavone Supplementation on Bone
Mineral Density” by Brenda Milot, ELS, HerbClip,
7/31/06
- How Taking Fosamax Can Lead to a Serious and Painful
Jaw Disease,” Women’s Health Letter, 8/06
- Osteonecrosis of the Mandible or Maxilla Associated
with the Use of New Generation Bisphosphonates”
by M. C. Farrugia et al., Laryngoscope, 1/06
- User’s
Guide to Calcium & Magnesium by Nan Kathryn Fuchs,
PhD ($5.95, Basic Health, 2002)
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