LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

Osteoporosis cures and bone health

CALCIUM, DAIRY PRODUCTS AND BONE HEALTH IN CHILDREN – (05-01-05)

by

Calcium, Dairy Products, and Bone Health in Children and Young Adults: A Reevaluation of the Evidence

I have said before that, of everything I bring up when I am speaking to the public, my position on dairy receives the most disbelief–some bordering on anger.  But, I still contend that the marketing of dairy in the presence of marginal (at best) research to support its use remains one of the top few successes in my lifetime.

HRT was another one at the top of the list.  I always remind people I speak with of two things:  cows don’t drink milk for their calcium, and we are the only mammalian creature that continues to drink milk after we’re weaned (with the exception of cats–and that’s because we give it to them).

Read entire article here

XYLITOL HAS BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON BONE MASS – (04-25-05)

by

Simultaneous dietary administration of xylitol and ethanol on bone resorption

Not quite sure what the practical aspects are of this one, but I thought it was interesting.  Xylitol is a naturally occurring sugar that is found in foods like fruits that is known to have a positive effect on dental health.  Bacteria in the mouth cannot use xylitol to produce acids that destroy dental enamel, so xylitol containing items like gum have been shown to lower the incidence of dental caries.  But I was unaware that xylitol also had a beneficial effect on bone mass by slowing down bone breakdown.

This study combined xylitol with ethanol (ethanol lowers bone mass by speeding up breakdown) and found a much greater decrease in bone breakdown because the ethanol keeps more xylitol in the bloodstream.  No quite sure where to go with this one–maybe xylitol in your wine to boost bone health???

Read entire article here

HOW TO PROTECT BONE HEALTH? – (11-05-07)

by

n–3 Fatty acids are positively associated with peak bone mineral density and bone accrual in healthy men

This raises some interesting questions. It is well accepted (in the research, anyway…) that inflammation is a major player in bone loss. Increased inflammation (notably increased levels of TNF-alpha, a key player in inflammation) increases the number of osteoclasts–the cells that break down bone. This leads to an increase in the breakdown in bone without balanced building up of bone.

But this study evaluated the fatty acids of younger men. I would generally consider breaking the “inflammation cascade” as being effective in an older population, and would think that increased bone breakdown would be less of an issue in younger patients. So either my thinking is off, and inflammation is a player much earlier then we would think (which is scary in and of itself) or there is another mechanism at work. Either way, increased intake of healthier fats coupled with solid Vit D intake (supplemental or sun) will go a long way towards protecting bone health.

Read entire article here

WHAT’S THE WORST POSSIBLE COMBINATION FOR BONE HEALTH? – (09-17-07)

by

Effect of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors on the Risk of Fracture

What’s the worst possible combination for bone health? Poor bone mineral density coupled with an increased risk of falling. Now guess what? You can get all this in one easy pill!!

Even more fearful, this study was done on elderly subjects. What will happen to the bones of teens put on antidepressants for years? We probably won’t have specifics for decades. On the contrary, fish oils, exercise and vitamin D are all well known to help fight off depression as well as build bone mass. This seems like an easy decision to me.

Read entire article here

FISH OILS LOWER INFLAMMATION AND STOPS BONE LOSS – (02-11-07)

by

Conjugated linoleic acid inhibits osteoclast differentiation

We have unquestionably moved from the “milk it does a body good” dogma of bone health to one of inflammation driven bone loss.  Given that unhealthy lifestyles lead to inflammation, it is no big surprise that osteoporosis is becoming a larger and larger issue in Western cultures.  It has less to do with dairy and calcium intake (and given that animal proteins like dairy are more inflammatory…) and more to do with lowering oxidative stress and inflammation.

This is one of the reasons why we have seen fish oils help with bone–it has no direct effect on bone, rather, it lowers inflammation and stops the loss of bone.

Read entire article here

DO YOU KNOW THAT INFLAMMATION IS A MAJOR PLAYER IN BONE HEALTH? – (01-26-08)

by

Inflammatory Markers and Incident Fracture Risk in Older Men and Women

As mentioned above, the approach to increasing bone mass needs to extend far beyond what is the current “standard of care.” Despite calcium supplementation showing little benefit in clinical trials for osteoporosis (note that calcium from diet is important, but that additional supplementation to a healthy diet full of calcium will not show much of a benefit) that is all that is ever recommended by mainstream medicine.

The bottom line is that inflammation is a major player in bone health. Higher levels of inflammation means more calcium is released into the bloodstream from the osteoclasts. So, any patient diagnosed with osteoporosis is likely demonstrating higher levels of inflammation, which will also increase the risk for any number of other chronic diseases. NOT addressing this aspect of osteoporosis can sentence the patient to an early death from some other cause.

Read entire article here

SOY BENEFITS HELPS TO INCREASE BONE DENSITY – (01-26-08)

by

Effects of Phytoestrogen Genistein on Bone Metabolism in Osteopenic Postmenopausal Women

It still surprises me to hear such a strong anti-soy sentiment out there. Clearly, heavy, repeated exposure to any food antigen can lead to sensitivity, but the consistent research supporting the benefits of soy constituents makes any argument against soy sound weak.

This study finds the genistein compound from soy helping to increase bone density. However, as with any natural approach, improving bone density is multifactorial. Strong vit D status, calcium, a alkaline diet, exercise, whole body vibration. All these add up to increasing bone density. Sadly, many patients coming through my office are put on anti-resorptive therapy like Fosamax, but the lifestyle recommends rarely exceed “take Tums…”

Read entire article here

BONES & STRESS FRACTURES–COMMON APPROACH DOESN’T HELP

by

If you’re over 3, you’ve probably been ingrained with the idea that “milk-it does a body good.”  First by commercials promising to build strong bones and muscles (Seriously?  Where did they ever get the idea dairy had anything to do with muscle growth??) and grow into a strapping football player.  Next by indoctrination in the school systems where the concept of dairy being good for us is fully infiltrated.  Personally, I’d like to know what the first person was thinking who looked at a cow’s udder and said to himself, “Hey…I think I could drink from that…”

Regardless, the data on dairy’s benefits is shockingly weak and much of the data is not supportive.  Certainly dairy is not the wonderful bone builder Joe Public thinks it is.  On the other hand, there is a simple compound known to support bone growth.

You guessed it–Vitamin D.

This particular study looked at whether diary, calcium or vitamin D was effective at lowering the development of stress fractures in teenage girls.  Dairy and calcium had no effect.  One would think that, if dairy really was good for the bones that it would at least have an impact on a stress fracture.  Those with the highest intakes of vitamin D had 1/2 the risk of developing a stress fracture.

Not too shabby considering the cost, safety and myriad of other benefits that would occur with supplementation.