Bone health and the 18 nutrients
This is not an article about calcium, because we all know that this is important for bone health. It’s about the 17 other nutrients that your bones need to be strong. We often don’t consider bone health until we are aged, and manifesting signs of degradation such as fractures. Prevention isn’t exciting I know, but your older self will thank you for taking the time to consider how to feed your bones for strength now.
Did you know that your bones are very dynamic tissue? They absorb and release minerals constantly, which is either a bone-building or bone-destroying exercise, depending on your diet and biochemical environment. We want to make sure that we provide our bones with the minerals they need to be strong, and the delivery mechanisms in place to get them there (e.g. a healthy digestive system - if yours is giving you grief, talk with us!).
I remember reading a great quote in the book “Building Bone Vitality” by Amy Joy Lanou and Michael Castleman that said “If bones were just sticks of calcium, they would be chalk”. True! So we know that there are many other components of our bones to consider. Here are just a few of the other 17 nutrients needed for healthy bones:
Boron: needed to utilise calcium
Copper: needed for collagen formation (we can test this for you, as low levels are a risk factor for Osteoporosis)
Magnesium: deficiency (particularly common in NZ and Australia) is a serious risk factor for Osteoporosis
Zinc: (deficiency is again very common) helps build collagen structure
Vitamin C: necessary for bone collagen
Vitamin B6: to prevent bone weakness
Vitamin D: Helps deliver calcium and phosphorous into bones
Vitamin K: to help prevent fracture risk
We have some devastating deficiencies of some of these nutrients in our soils, so how do we know if we’re getting enough? Start with a testing panel (we can arrange this for you), then let’s talk about your diet and your stomach acidity and enzymes (essential for breakdown and delivery of nutrients into bone).
In addition to a testing panel, I like to talk about protein sources, and blood acidity/alkalinity (which we can give indicative testing for also). Of course, there are more minerals and vitamins that are crucial to bone health than those listed above, and a healthy diet should include as many as possible, and any that we can’t get through our food should be supplemented. This is a far cry from just taking a calcium supplement and thinking that this will stave off Osteoporosis. We need to take into account your diet, your family history, where you live, the health of your thyroid gland, your hormone status and more. A tailored approach to bone health is what we love to deliver.
Tracey.
