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Osteoporosis Risks and Risk FactorsOsteoporosis or 'porous bone' is a condition that can develop if bone is no longer replaced as quickly as it is removed. Bone density is influenced by factors such as heredity, sex, race, physical activity, overall health and most especially nutritional intake & absorption. One out of every four women over the age of 60 experience a bone fracture due to osteoporosis and 17 percent of those who sustain a hip fracture die within three months of the fracture. Even for those who do not actually fracture bones through falling, the health problems can be somewhat severe. A simple act of coughing or bending down can cause painful vertebral fractures that shorten height and lead to rounding of the spine known as dowager's hump. Because of this insidious process, it is not uncommon for older people to lose up to 3 or more inches in height due to skeletal damage and compression which can lead to nerve problems and increased pain. We have already discussed age and gender as factors in osteoporosis. Now let's look at some of the other factors that contribute to this problem.
Understanding the Calcium Connection The majority of the body's calcium is found in the skeletal system. Because of this there is a constant exchange mechanism between the calcium which is held in the bones, and the calcium which is in the blood stream. As long as there is adequate calcium in the blood stream from dietary sources, bone calcium can remain fairly consistent with calcium being reabsorbed from the bone and deposited at similar rates. However when blood serum calcium levels are constantly low, the body reabsorbs calcium into the blood from the bone faster than it can be deposited back, resulting in a loss of bone mass. Adequate calcium in the blood is so vital to a wide variety of bodily functions that our internal biochemistry will not tolerate a deficiency even for short periods. This is why a deficiency of calcium or a difficulty of calcium absorption, even for short periods of time, can result in a significant percent of bone loss. Unfortunately, this 'bone calcium' is very alkaline and is difficult for the body to properly acidify for other biochemical functions. Calcium from this source must circulate in the blood for long periods of time in an attempt to become acidic enough for use. This explains why those who are calcium deficient often show high levels of calcium in their blood. If you show elevated calcium levels in your blood test, and do not have a condition that can explain it, you almost always are deficient in calcium and need to increase your intake of this mineral from foods or dietary supplements. Some of the biochemical functions of calcium in the body are worth mentioning to illustrate the vital importance of maintaining adequate bio-available serum calcium on a continual basis. The blood, the heart, the muscular system, the nervous system, the hormonal system, as well as the kidneys, and the gastrointestinal system are all affected by calcium and demand a specific calcium balance. As calcium is transported back and forth between the body fluids and the cells of the various systems, control is maintained in each system. The central nervous system depends on sufficient calcium levels to keep the nerves functioning properly. Nerve impulses are transmitted down the nerves to specific body parts so they can perform a given function. For example, when a person wants to bend their arm, the impulse travels from the brain down the spinal cord to the nerve which goes to the muscle, which bends the arm. If the calcium levels in the body become too low, the nerves become hyper-excited and the muscles go into spasm. If the calcium levels stay low enough for a long enough period of time, the muscles can go into tetany, which is a more continuous spasm. Not only does calcium affect the muscles via the nerves, it also has a profound direct affect on the smooth muscles of the body (especially the heart). Calcium is directly involved in the cardiac muscle by affecting the tension in the heart walls which in turn affects the pumping ability of the heart.
The Role of Estrogen Research has lead to the general agreement among physicians and researchers that the progression of bone loss can be halted in post menopausal women with Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT). In his recent article for "Let's Live" magazine (February 1989), Dr. David Steenblock wrote, "A lack of estrogen in post-menopausal women prevents the absorption and utilization of calcium and is the single most important factor in the development of osteoporosis in older women." We can take this one step further and apply it to males. As men age their testosterone levels can decrease. Testosterone is converted to estrogen in the male and hence serves the same function as in women. A lowering of testosterone therefore can contribute to osteoporosis in men as well. Although ERT can reduce the risk of osteoporosis if taken within three to five years after menopause, according to an article in "Medical Self-Care" (May/June 1988), taking it also entails increased risks of some kinds of cancer, heart disease and gall bladder disease and gall bladder disease. Less serious side effects of imbalanced ERT therapy can include enlarged and tender breasts, nausea, skin discoloration, water retention, weight gain, headaches, and digestive problems. While estrogen, even if administered properly, can prevent further bone depletion, it does not replace bone that has already been lost. The only way to regain lost bone mass in through proper nutritional support in the form of aggressive dietary supplementation. As mentioned earlier, nutrition is the single greatest factor in either contributing to or preventing osteoporosis. Let's take a look at the nutritional factors and show how you can stay ahead of this debilitating problem through proper prevention. Calcium...No discussion of osteoporosis would be viable without a review of the role calcium plays in the process. As we indicated previously, calcium is the mineral that prevents osteoporosis--period. However taking calcium supplements alone may slow the loss of bone mass but will not succeed in replacing what has been lost. The source of calcium will also affect the body's ability to absorb the mineral. Generally, chelates are far better assimilated than nonchelates which are primarily ground up rock, clays, sea beds or soils. Calcium Absorption and Excretion Many factors influence calcium absorption, among them lifestyle, exercise, dietary intake, pH of the gastrointestinal tract and the source of the calcium ingested. Effective calcium absorption begins in the stomach. If the stomach produces too little stomach acid (hydrochloric acid), calcium remains insoluble and cannot be ionized, which is necessary for it to be assimilated in the intestines. Ionization is the process where an atom changes its structure so that it can combine with other elements. This is why chelated calcium, like many other chelates, is much more absorbable: the decreased pH helps ionic bonding which is necessary for intestinal uptake. The proper level of hydrochloric acid in the stomach is so important that its lack in the digestive process can account for as much as 80 percent loss of available calcium absorption. Studies show stomach acid secretion decreases with age, and, "up to 40 percent of post-menopausal women may be severely deficient in this natural stomach acid," writes Dr. Joseph Pizzorno in the recent best selling book, "Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine." Factors leading to reduced stomach acid include a diet of over-cooked, over-processed, lifeless foods which no longer contain naturally occurring enzyme activity, as well as the excess consumption of antacid medications. Any nutritional program that wishes to properly address osteoporosis and other conditions caused by a lack of calcium and calcium absorption MUST include supplements which provide for the adequate replacement of lost stomach acid. Other factors that might adversely affect calcium absorption would include:
Other Nutrients That Affect Bone Health While calcium is the primary supplement that comes to mind when considering bone density, there are many other nutrients which are either related to the absorption of calcium or play some other pivotal role in bone health & integrity.
Why You Need Supplements The typical American diet, filled with high proportions of refined sugar, white flour, fats and canned, processed, lifeless foods, contains far less vitamins and minerals than diets consumed by our ancestors. Additionally, the requirements for certain nutrients may be dramatically increased through such factors as genetics, metabolism and metabolic changes that can occur at the time of menopause. A deficiency of any one of these nutrients might contribute significantly to osteoporosis. Deficiencies of a number of different nutrients over a long period of time may accelerate bone loss. This concept was illustrated in a 1981 clinical study which showed that adding the certain micro-nutrients to a calcium supplement reduced bone loss by a significantly greater degree than calcium alone. This is why you should never fragment nutrition by taking just one or a few isolated nutrients in the total absence of others. This practice may result in gross deficiencies of the nutrients not being supplied. The body demands balance and it can achieve this balance quite nicely when we simply provide a full spectrum of nutritional support to the biochemistry of the body. In addition to a high potency full spectrum program you most certainly would also want to include additional calcium along with all the factors that enhance calcium absorption. Proof Positive During a clinical study conducted at the University of California at San Diego by Strauss & Saltman, the researchers actually reversed a loss in bone density with the right combination of calcium and certain trace minerals rather than merely halting its progression. This is the ONLY study ever shown to increase bone density in as little as 24 months...and the minerals used are included in the formula shown below. When taken with a full spectrum nutrition program providing all the relative nutrients for optimal health, this formula will provide the body with the extra calcium many of us need in the most highly absorbable environment possible. "The Formula"
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