Osteoporosis is a disease that weakens bones, making bone breaks more likely. Approximately 1.5 million people in the United States suffer bone fractures each year due to bone disease. As we age, our risk of fractures increases. More women are susceptible to bone loss than are men, especially older women. Some 35 percent of postmenopausal White women suffer osteoporosis of the hip, spine, or distal forearm. However, men, especially elderly men, can and do get osteoporosis as well.
In these studies, nutrients to support healthy bones include collagen, calcium, vitamins D and K, and probiotics.
Reference: Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General. Office of the Surgeon General (US).Rockville (MD): Office of the Surgeon General (US); 2004.
Nutrients support postmenopausal bone health
Collagen, calcium, and vitamin D
Calcium and vitamin D have well-known bone benefits, but here doctors wanted to test these nutrients along with collagen in treating osteopenia—the loss of bone density that can precede osteoporosis. In this study, 51 postmenopausal women with osteopenia took 500 mg of calcium plus 400 IU of vitamin D, with or without 5 grams of collagen peptides per day.
After 12 months, compared to calcium and vitamin D alone, the calcium-vitamin D-collagen group saw a 1.96 percent increase in total bone mineral content (BMC) in the support tissues within the tibia, lumbar spine, and hip; and a 1.01 percent BMC increase in the outer surfaces that form the protective layer of these bones.
Doctors said 12 months of collagen with calcium and vitamin D prevented a decline in bone mineral density and a decrease of bone turnover—bone loss—in postmenopausal women with osteopenia.
Reference: Journal of Clinical Densitometry; 2021.11.011, Published Online
Probiotics improve postmenopausal bone density
As women reach postmenopause, bone mineral density can decrease one to two percent. In this study, 53 postmenopausal women, average age 58, took a placebo or 8-billion colony-forming units of a lactobacillus-based probiotic.
After six months, bone mineral density at the femur neck—the narrow upper portion of the thigh bone that connects to the hip—had increased 4 percent, with no change for placebo. Levels of osteocalcin, a protein that binds with calcium to mineralize bone, remained stable for probiotics while decreasing for placebo.
Discussing the findings, doctors said femur neck fractures are more serious than osteoporotic spine fractures because they often require surgery.
Reference: Journal of Bone Metabolism; November, 2022, Vol. 29, No. 4, 225-33
Early calcium may prevent osteoporosis
Up to age 20, bone mass increases gradually, peaking at about age 35, then beginning a slow decline. This review of 43 clinical trials covering 7,382 participants under age 35 compared calcium supplementation and bone mineral density (BMD).
Overall, boosting calcium intake earlier in life increased BMD throughout the body, including at the femoral neck of the thigh bone where it connects to the hip, site of most bone fractures later in life. Supplementing calcium between the ages of 20 and 35 had a greater benefit than in those younger than 20 years.
Discussing the findings, doctors said, “Instead of traditionally solving problems when they occur, such as treating osteoporosis after it develops, these results suggest intervening earlier in life to prevent osteoporosis.”
Reference: Epidemiology and Global Health; September, 2022, Article No. 79002
Vitamins K and D support bone in IBD
People with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis have increased chances for bone loss, and may be deficient in vitamins K and D. In this study, doctors measured vitamins K and D in the diets of 193 participants with IBD, and 199 without.
Both IBD and non-IBD groups got insufficient amounts of vitamin D; 53.1 and 63.2 percent of the U.S. RDA, respectively. For vitamin K, the IBD group got 78.7 percent of the RDA while the non-IBD group got 138.8 percent. Those with Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis were severely low in vitamin K.
Doctors suggested, to avoid exacerbating symptoms, those with IBD may limit certain dairy and green leafy vegetables, which are high in K and D, and those with IBD can easily reverse inadequate dietary levels by taking nutritional supplements.
Reference: Nutrients; 2023, Vol. 15, No. 7, 1678
BetsyHealth Note: This article is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease. Consult your healthcare provider before trying a supplement, especially if you have a medical condition, including being pregnant or nursing, take prescription or over-the-counter medications, or are planning on having surgery.
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