To understand osteoporosis we need to understand what the condition is. According to the Merck Manual, the amount of bone is reduced, but the ratio of mineral to organic elements is unchanged in the remaining morphological normal bone. When osteoporosis occurs, it decreases bone production and creates wider gaps within the bone thus creating weaker bone. Osteoporosis is a leading concern for bone fracture. There are nearly 10 million fractures reported worldwide each year due to osteoporosis. Most often this effects post menopausal women and elderly men, however we are seeing a rise in juvenile bone weakness called rickets due to malnutrition. It is an increasing epidemic. Before we continue - it is important to remember and understand, there is no demineralization of the bone. This is not a loss of bone density as much as it is concerning more about bone quality.
Why is our body creating poor quality bone? Simply put - because it lacks the necessary elements to maintain healthy quality bone. Surely we are doing everything we can. We understand that calcium is essential for bone health and the RDI approved calcium intake is 1,000 mg/day. So lets just take more calcium - problem solved! That's simply 3 cups of milk a day. Calcium is fortified in many of our foods. We often get calcium through our daily multi-vitamins. If necessary, we take Boniva or Fomax to treat decreasing bone density. We are doing everything we can - right?
Sadly no - in fact we are headed in the wrong direction. Osteoporosis is referred to by some as the Empty Bucket Syndrome. It is a condition in which no matter how much we put in - that bucket will forever remain empty. We can fill our body with 10,000 mg of calcium and we will continue to see a rise in osteoporosis. The answer is not how much do we need to put in, but rather - what can we do to keep it from falling right out? Several studies show the trends of osteoporosis. The China Study follows a group of Chinese women compared to women of developed countries. The Chinese women consumed a significant less amount of calcium and yet had less bone density and had a fifth of the amount of fractures compared to women in developed countries. What does this tell us? It is not about the amount of calcium we put in our bodies. The Yale Study followed a group of African American women who consumed the recommended dose of 1,000 mg/day compared to a group of African women who consumed about 200 mg/day. A very significant decrease, and yet the results show that the African American women in developed countries has 9 times more fractures than African women. Studies show the trends that developed countries consume significantly more meat, milk, and other animal product foods.
Lets look into more into these products and other things that are depleting our body of the calcium our body needs.
1. Dairy - this includes cow milk, cheese, yogurt and other cow milk products. Our body maintains a Calcium to Phosphorus ratio of about 2.5:1 (5:2). Milk products contain a 1.5:1 (3:2) ratio, setting off our balance and allowing more phosphorus in our blood. Too much phosphorus can be toxic leading to diarrhea, can interact with other mineral intakes, and can lead to increased risk of heart disease. What does our body do in response to high phosphorus levels? It finds calcium to balance the ratio. Where is this calcium? Over 90% of calcium is found in our bones. This natural defense mechanism takes calcium out of bones to prevent greater risk. This is a great temporal solution - however, we continue to to create these situations in which it no longer becomes a temporal thing, but rather a chronic and dangerous condition.
2. Animal Protein - This is mainly concerning red meat, but all animal meat in excess can be harmful to our bodies environment. By age 65, meat eaters have 6 times more bone loss than vegaterians. Animal protein has several components that effect our calcium or phosphorus levels.
- Higher levels of phosphorus - most meats contain high amounts of phosphorus
- Acid Ash - Meat products are acid ash meaning they decrease our pH levels in our blood creating an acidity. Our bodies defense to acidic blood is calcium, depleting them from our bones
- Arachidonic Acid - again, this is an acid - but also causes osteoclast activity which is a break down of bone
3. Loss of Estrogen - A lack of estrogen leads to increased risk of osteoporosis. This is why post menopausal women are at the greatest risk. Estrogen does not treat osteoporosis, but has been shown to be preventative - so when estrogen becomes depleted the risks increase Again, we are finding more women lacking estrogen and reaching menopausal at earlier ages - due to increased intake of dairy products and other foods containing hormones that interact with our normal hormone levels as well as smoking.
4. Soda - soda contains high levels of phosphorus
5. Corticosteroids - decreases calcium absorption. Our bodies never have a chance of we are taking steroids that prevent us from ever getting calcium in the first place
6. Antibiotics - has been shown to increase calcium excretion. Not sure the details of the mechanism here, but plays a factor in our calcium levels
7. Caffeine - studies show that 300 mg of caffeine decreases calcium intake by 142%
8. Tobacco - Cadmium found in tobacco increases bone loss
9. Alcohol - studies show that 2 average drinks a day negates a daily intake of calcium
Can you see here - we aren't even giving ourselves a chance. It doesn't matter how much calcium we put in, we are doing things that speedily decrease calcium in our bones - faster than we can take in. But we have Boniva and Fomax to help us build bone density and treat osteoporosis, right? Yes, it will build bone - however, without proper calcium and nutrition that we so easily deny ourselves of - that increased bone will be just as bad quality as the rest. Its not bone density - its bone quality that is the issue. So what can we do to prevent, treat, and manage osteoporosis?
1. Fill the holes of the bucket - avoid those things listed above
2. Eat proper sources of Calcium - but isn't milk good for you? No, as we discussed - it provides calcium, but also provides a great deal of phosphorus in which can be harmful. There are better sources of calcium to try. Kale, Spinach and Broccoli are some of the best sources of calcium. Many products try to fortify with calcium - but fortification is useless and harmful. Our bodies don't fully recognize unnatural fortified minerals and vitamins.
3 Exercise - weight bearing activities stimulates our bone growth cells to increase more bone - as long as we are providing our body with proper nutrition. It is simple as walking for 20 minutes a day that can help strengthen our bone structure
4. Essential vitamins - Vit. D helps absorb Calcium, Vit. C helps create collagen which is the precursor to bone, and Vit. K prevents calcium depletion
5. Balance of hormones - this is mainly for women. Maintain proper hormone balance and having good levels of estrogen will be preventative. If post menopausal - I discourage estrogen replacement therapy - but there are some safe natural estrogen supplements to try, including tribulus or chaste tree extract which helps keep normal hormone balance.
Osteoporosis is greatly increasing and unless we figure out and understand the true cause - it will continue to be a burden in the healthcare profession, and mostly in the lives it effects. It is important to understand that this is not a disease or illness but rather our own bodies mechanism that we have put ourselves in. We have created this hole - the empty bucket - but we also have the tools to patch it up and make things right again.
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