Bone health & strength in later life

Osteoporosis (literally porous bones) is a bone crippling, but definitely preventable disease.

In most people there is a decline in bone mass after the age of 40 and the old adage ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ in this case is painfully true. According to the National Osteoporosis Society, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 12 men will develop osteoporosis over the age of 50. Without treatment, osteoporosis can cause painful and disabling fractures, particularly in the wrist, hip and spine

Osteoporosis is a particularly dangerous disease in that it may not be noticed until a broken bone occurs. Signs may include reduced height, rounded shoulders, dowager’s hump, and evidence of bone loss from diagnostic tests. Some people may suffer with back and/or neck pain.

Women tend to suffer most with osteoporosis – as many as 80% of osteoporosis injuries will be suffered by women - as men experience bone loss at half the rate of women.

THE SCIENCE

Unlike the dead, brittle skeleton hanging in the high school biology lab, bone is a living, metabolically active tissue. Throughout life, bone is constantly rebuilding itself. Bone serves as a storehouse for minerals, chiefly calcium, which can be tapped to meet the body’s mineral requirements. Bone is broken down through a process called “resorption,” releasing its minerals into the general circulation. New bone is then formed to replace the reabsorbed bone, preventing a net loss of bone. This is called bone “remodeling.” As we age, however, bone formation begins to fall behind, causing the gradual bone loss that culminates in osteoporosis.

Exactly why and how bone loss accelerates with aging is not completely understood. Many different physiologic changes appear to be involved. Bone cells called “osteoblasts” that rebuild bone seem to falter with aging.

Hormones of the thyroid and parathyroid glands control the movement of calcium in and out of bone: calcitonin secreted by the thyroid deposits calcium into bone while PTH from the parathyroids pull calcium out. As we age, calcitonin levels tend to fall coupled with a rise in PTH, tipping the scale toward bone breakdown. Estrogen protects against bone loss and declining estrogen levels after menopause increase bone resorption. Add in the reduced absorption of dietary calcium that comes with aging and we have a constellation of interwoven factors favoring bone loss.

TAKING CONTROL

While a certain amount of bone loss seems inevitable with the passage of time, the process is not entirely beyond our control. Dietary and lifestyle measures can, to some degree, help maintain bone health. Poor nutrition and other health habits such as smoking, alcohol abuse, and physical inactivity contribute to bone loss. Exercise, especially through activities like walking that put pressure on the weight-bearing bones, stimulates bone remodelling. Exposure to sunlight is helpful. Sunlight forms vitamin D in the skin, vitamin D in turn increases calcium absorption.

ORTHODOX TREATMENTS

Common conventional treatments for osteoporosis include:

Bisphosphonates. These are non hormonal drugs, which help maintain bone density and reduce fracture rates.

Hormone replacement therapy. HRT is oestrogen replacement for women at the menopause, but concerns over side-effects from HRT are causing many women to look for alternatives.

Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs) are drugs which act in a similar way to oestrogen on the bone.

Testosterone therapy is testosterone placement for men with low testosterone levels to help maintain bone density.

NUTRITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

Calcium, magnesium, boron and vitamin D are essential for protecting bones. Studies in women have shown that calcium supplements can reduce bone loss in the hand and arm as much as 50% and have a beneficial effect on the spine. Calcium supplementation at 1500mg per day has been shown to be especially helpful to women if consumed within 3 years of the menopause. It is clear that few adults get enough calcium in their diets.

Additionally, individuals with osteoporosis have lower magnesium content than people without osteoporosis. The common recommendation for magnesium in osteoporosis is 350mg per day.

The mineral boron has been shown to raise post-menopausal levels of oestrogen and also aid in calcium retention and absorption.

A key factor in the poor absorption of calcium is low stomach acid. Studies confirm that 40% of postmenopausal women are severely deficient in stomach acid. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and malic acid are useful supplements to help boost mineral absorption.

HERBAL REMEDIES

Black Cohosh:
Scientists have been studying black cohosh’s ability to mimic the effects of the hormone estrogen on the body. This may have applications in the support of women going through menopause. In fact, clinical studies have reported positive effects on menopausal and post-menopausal complaints when using standardized extracts of black cohosh.

Dong Quai:
Dong quai is revered as one of the most important remedies in Chinese medicine. It has been used for centuries for a variety of female complaints and is considered a tonic for women who are tired, recovering from illness or have low vitality. When the female body is going through menopause, scientists think dong quai’s phytoestrogens facilitate the body’s ability to process available estrogen more efficiently.

ESSENTIAL FATS

Flaxseed oil is one of the best sources of the essential fatty acids. It contains approximately 50-60% of the omega-3 essential fatty acid, known as linolenic acid or alpha-linolenic acid, and roughly 18-20% of the omega-6 essential fatty acid known as linoleic acid.

Omega-3 may also be a preventative measure for many major illnesses. Researchers think omega-3 can help prevent breast, prostate and colon cancers.( 5 , 6 , 7 ) In addition, flaxseed along with a consistent diet may influence hormone metabolism within postmenopausal women by decreasing the concentrations of serum 17 beta-estradiol and estrone sulfate and increasing the concentration of serum prolactin concentrations.

LIFESTYLE AND DIETARY ISSUES

Constant dieting and a lack of exercise also contribute to increased bone loss. Great care should be taken in losing weight, as nutritional deficiencies can lead to speedier bone loss.

Cut down on coffee, alcohol and smoking as these have a negative effect on calcium balance. Increase physical exercise as even one hour of moderate activity, such as walking, three times a week has been shown to help prevent bone loss.

The risk of osteoporosis has been associated with heavy caffeine consumption. One study found that more than two cups of coffee or four cups of tea a day increased calcium excretion in the urine and the incidence of hip fractures.

An important, but little known, relationship exists between soft drinks and bone health. High levels of phosphoric acid are found in fizzy drinks and this has been shown in a number of studies to increase bone loss. In one study, a group of children given fizzy drinks were found to have a five-fold reduction in blood calcium levels compared to other children.

MOST COMMON SIGNS & SYMPTOMS

• Reduced height
• Rounded shoulders
• Dowager’s hump
• Evidence of bone loss from diagnostic tests
• Back pain
• Neck pain

BONE HEALTH SUPPLEMENTS

• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Boron
• Vitamin C
• Malic Acid
• Multivitamin

 

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These documents are reproduced with kind permission from Viridian-Nutrition.