The Key to Building Strong Bones

It’s estimated that nearly half of all Americans over age 50 may be at risk for their bone health. And countless others of all ages are not getting sufficient bone-building nutrients in their diets and the physical activity needed for bones to be strong enough to last a lifetime. We’re living longer today. We want to enjoy our independence and live an active life much longer than past generations. To do that, you need strong bones. And you need them to stay healthy and strong your entire life, not just for pleasure, but also for protection. When you’re older, the consequences of weak bones can strip away your independence in the blink of an eye. They can even be deadly. Strong bones protect your heart, lungs, and brain from injury. And your bones become a warehouse for important minerals that you need throughout your life. Your bones also house and protect your bone marrow where white blood cells develop. How the “Silent Thief” Can Escape Detection – Even for Years Bone is a living substance that contains blood vessels, nerves, and cells. Two types of cells control your bone structure: • Osteoblasts – cells that build your bones and strengthen your skeleton. • Osteoclasts – cells that break down old or damaged bone to make room for new bone Very simply, as long as the bone-forming activity, called absorption, is greater than bone breakdown, called resorption, you are assured of maintaining healthy bones. The foundation for strong bones starts at a very young age. Your “bone growth” stage stretches from birth until about age 30. Then you enter the normal age-related bone mineral loss period that continues for the rest of your life. If not given the right kind of care, bones can begin to weaken early in life. It’s a quiet process that steals away your bones. You can’t feel it happening, at least not in the early stages – hence the name “silent thief.” And here’s something that every woman needs to know: Your normal bone loss accelerates during and after menopause for about five to seven years before returning to the slightly slower rate that men experience. You can lose as much as 35 percent of your bone density during those few, short years! Are These Silent Thief “Helpers” Working Behind Your Back? Many people have weak bones and don’t even know it. Many people may be making mistakes now that can affect their bone health later. Here are some of the most common bone health mistakes: 1. Statin Drugs - One in four Americans 45 and older take cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. But doctors often fail to warn patients that statins interfere with vitamin K2’s bone-building functions in your body and increase your risk of deficiency. 2. Antidepressants - Many antidepressant drugs act by altering your serotonin levels and can therefore lower your bone density, according to a recent review of current evidence. 3. Osteoporosis Drugs - Contrary to what you’ve been told, most osteoporosis drugs actually weaken your bones. Bisphosphonate bone drugs impact your normal bone repair process by killing off your osteoclasts, and do make your bones denser, but because the osteoclasts are killed the bone is actually weaker as it is not remodeled properly. 4. Undiagnosed Gluten Intolerance - Could the grains you’re eating be contributing to less-than-optimal bone health? You may not be absorbing the nutrients you need for bone health. 5. Smoking and Drinking - Smoking increases your rate of bone loss, and consuming more than two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women can interfere with your body’s ability to absorb calcium, slowing new bone formation. 6. Soft Drinks - Studies show that phosphorus in soda weakens your bones by promoting the loss of calcium. And diet sodas might even be worse. The best way to know for sure if your bone health is at risk is to have your bone density tested regularly. Whatever your test results, you’re never too young – or too old – to support your bone health. Exercise is an Essential Key to Healthy, Strong Bones Healthy bones are porous and soft, and as you age, they can easily become less dense and more brittle. Especially if you don’t get the right kinds of exercise. Because bone is living tissue, it requires regular physical activity to renew and rebuild itself. Whenever you jump, run, or lift a weight, the stress of your muscles on your bones signals to your body to add new cells to strengthen your bones. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, “Physical Activity and Health: A Surgeon General’s Report,” healthy individuals should do: • A minimum of 30 minutes of weight bearing physical activity of moderate intensity on most days of the week, if not daily. • Strength training at least two times a week. Weight bearing exercises – activities that force you to work against gravity – strengthen bone by stimulating the bone-building cells, osteoblasts. A good exercise to include in your routine is a walking lunge. This helps build bone density in your hips, even without additional weights. Lifting weights, using resistance bands, and yoga all help build bone density and strength. Other weight-bearing activities include brisk walking, tennis, kickboxing, jogging, climbing stairs, hiking, and dancing. Even if you are not able to do these exercises, walking regularly is highly beneficial. The stronger your muscles, the better your balance and coordination. That’s vitally important, especially as you age. Of course, always consider your current physical condition and obtain your doctor’s consent before starting any new type of exercise program. The Intricate Dance Between Bone-Building Nutrients In addition to the right kinds of physical activity, healthy bones and bone building require balancing four major nutrients: Calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, and Magnesium. The functions of these four nutrients are entwined and depend on each other for strength– much like a twisting grapevine. Just as you can’t untangle a grapevine without wrecking its strength, you can’t separate out one nutrient without affecting the actions of the others. For example: • Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in your intestines. • Calcium and phosphate depend upon Vitamin D for bone formation. • Vitamin K2 helps to cement the calcium you absorb into the bone matrix rather than depositing it on the inside of your blood vessels leading to atherosclerosis. • Magnesium is an important to build a strong bone matrix. Imagine the effects on your bones if one of these nutrients is missing – or not present in the right amount! And that’s the thing… this can be happening in your bones for years without you even knowing it’s going on. Calcium is Your Bone’s Best Friend (Most of the Time) As we just discussed, healthy bones require plenty of bone building nutrients. And ideally your bones get many of these nutrients from the foods you eat. Our diets have changed over the years to ones that are heavy in meat and grains, which are naturally low in calcium. And they can have an acidic effect on your body if eaten in excess. Your body will always do what it must to maintain a balanced pH. When your body becomes too acidic, it releases minerals – including calcium from your bones and teeth. However, eating too little protein can be just as bad. Protein deficiency interferes with calcium absorption in your intestines. On the other hand, dark, green leafy vegetables are rich in calcium. And they have an alkalizing effect on your body – two important reasons to eat plenty of fresh leafy green vegetables! Remember, the balance of bone-building nutrients is key. I recommend you get your calcium from healthy sources such as those listed below. Some high-calcium foods also contain naturally high amounts of vitamin K2, such as fermented cheeses and butter from pastured cows. When choosing dairy, look for products made from raw, hormone-free, unpasteurized milk: Sesame seeds (1/4 cup) 351 mg Sardines, canned in oil with bones (3 ounces) 324 mg Yogurt (unsweetened) (1 cup) 300 mg Goat’s milk (1 cup) 326 mg Swiss cheese (1 ounce) 270 mg Spinach (1 cup cooked) 260 mg Collard greens (1 cup cooked) 226 mg Canned salmon with bones (3 ounces) 181 mg Almonds (2 ounces) 150 mg Navy beans, cooked (1 cup) 130 mg Broccoli, raw (1 cup) 90 mg Vitamins D3 and K2? Not Quite so Easy… The best source of vitamin K2 is natto, which is fermented soybeans or chickpeas. The best source of vitamin D is exposure to sunlight. Most people may need as little as 15 to 20 minutes of noontime exposure each day on enough exposed skin to maintain serum vitamin D levels in the ideal range. However, many, if not most people in the United States are vitamin D deficient because they don’t receive enough healthy sun exposure. And if you’re 50 or older, your skin may not produce as much vitamin D in response to sunlight. Vitamin K is available as either K1 or K2. While vitamin K1, found in green vegetables is important for your health, it does not build your bones significantly. Only vitamin K2 does that. Here’s the challenge… If you don’t regularly eat large amounts of grass-fed organic animal products like egg yolks, butter, and fermented dairy, fermented vegetables, or natto, you need to be confident that you are not vitamin K2 deficient. Sadly, unlike vitamin D, there is no blood test you can get to test for vitamin K2 yet. So the only practical way to know if you need vitamin K2 is to look at the sources in your diet, add them up and make sure you are getting at least 180 mcg of vitamin K2 every day. If you come up short then it is imperative that you consider a vitamin K2 supplement. The Problem with Most Bone Health Supplements The average person considers calcium the “darling” of bone health, but is it really? While calcium is certainly important for your bone health, relying on it too much – or the wrong types – may be risky for your health. Many experts believe most bone health issues today aren’t due to insufficient calcium. Rather, it’s a lack of the other nutrients, vitamins K2 and D, and magnesium. The balance of bone-building nutrients is what truly matters. Too much calcium, or calcium without its other co-nutrients can be hazardous to your health, especially for your heart and arterial health. Calcium can end up in the wrong places in your body especially if taken without vitamin K2. The type of calcium you take also makes a difference. You may not realize it, but the calcium used in most supplements comes from mined limestone or oyster shells. On product labels, if the source isn’t specified, the ingredients are most likely different forms of inexpensive-to-mine rock calcium! Calcium already can be a tough mineral to absorb, with estimates for some ranging as low as 20 percent. We were never intended to eat rocks – or oyster shells – so why would you want to get your calcium from them? I prefer getting mine from whole food sources. In addition to knowing how well your body can use calcium, there’s something else you need to watch out for with calcium supplements… Is Your Calcium Supplement Causing You to Overdose on Lead and Aluminum? Over a decade ago, a university research team performed an analysis on over-the-counter calcium supplements after reports of excessive lead contamination surfaced. Their findings? • Four of the 7 so-called “natural calcium” formulations from oyster shell and other natural sources had measurable or excessive lead content. • Four of the 14 refined calcium formulations had similar lead content, including some brand name products from major pharmaceutical companies. Fast-forward ten years… Instead of the situation of calcium contamination improving due to public awareness, it’s actually gotten worse. A group of independent researchers recently tested 27 commonly used calcium supplements for lead content. Now, lead is almost always found associated with calcium, and indeed, lead is naturally found with calcium. But it is excessive levels of lead that is the big concern. Surprisingly, only 10 percent of the supplements met the U.S. acceptable daily lead limit. Lead contamination isn’t your only concern. Aluminum has also been found in calcium carbonate supplements labeled “oyster shell” or “natural source.” And some imported calcium supplements tested positive for lead, aluminum, cadmium, and mercury! Always be suspect when buying a calcium supplement. Know where it came from, its source, its bioavailability, and who made it. That bargain bottle of calcium may not provide what your body needs or the safe product you expect! Absorption Matters, Especially If You’re 50 or Over As you age, your need for bone health support increases. Age-related factors increasingly work against your body’s ability to utilize nutrients and protect important organ functions: • Your skin produces less vitamin D in response to sunlight. • The pH in your small intestine, starts to drop, hindering absorption of calcium. • Your ability to activate vitamin K2-activated proteins that regulate calcium decreases. • Your absorption of magnesium decreases with age. • The increased use of certain medications can result in magnesium deficiency. And no matter your age, absorption and bioavailability matter. Calcium from the right source and in the right amounts are essential for bone health, but you must have vitamin K2 to help take the calcium out of the lining of your arteries and guide it back into your bones where it belongs. I can think of at least five reasons why you need to take action today, if you’re not already giving your bones the care they need: 1. You want to live a long, active life and enjoy the activities you love into old age. 2. You want to maintain your independence as long as you can. 3. You need strong, dense bones to protect against falls and other bodily and organ injury. 4. Healthy, strong bones are a life-long storehouse for important minerals. 5. Taking care of your bones may help you maintain a sharp, clear mind. It all boils down to this: You may not know if the “silent thief” is busy at work inside your body right now. Tragically, the only way many people discover their bone mineral density isn’t what they want it to be is when a bone breaks. Don’t wait another day for that to happen… Your Solution Is Here – Why Not Take Action Today? I can’t think of a better – or easier – way to help take control of your bone health. I’ve done the research for you and have brought together the top three action steps: • Maintain or increase bone density and strength. • Support optimum calcium absorption and utilization. • Support the development of healthy, flexible arteries for cardiovascular health. **It’s never too late to get started taking care of your bones. The only thing that matters is today. Why not take the next step right now. Source: mercola.com, 3/12/18.