What does it take to build strong bones? If you listen to the standard media they will say calcium, but there is much more to this story. Calcium is not enough by a long shot. Read full article here…
People like simple answers. Human nature is to either not trust or to ignore things we don’t understand. Our body is like that. We don’t trust it or we ignore it because we don’t understand it. The body is complex. It is not simple. Trying to impose simple answers onto body problems only creates more problems.
Taking calcium to build stronger bones is a good example of this truth. Is calcium needed by the body to make bones? Yes. If you have weak bones, can you make them stronger by simply taking calcium supplements? No. It is just not that simple. Yes you can build stronger bones, but calcium is not enough.
Why do bones get weak? There are two main reasons (and a bunch of little reasons). The main reasons are lack of heavy exercise, and inflammation. Walking a mile or two a day is not enough to keep your bones strong. Bones tell your body to build more bone when they bend. Yes, bones bend when you put enough weight bearing stress on them. Your body constantly eats away bone it doesn’t need and constantly builds new bone where it is needed. If a bone does not flex or bend during the day then the body figures there is too much bone there and will start to dissolve it. If the bones are weak and they flex or bend too much, then the body will lay more new bone down in that area.
If you want to build more bone, you have to cause your bones to flex and bend so your body can assess whether the bones are getting weak. That means occasionally lifting enough weight every day or two to cause the bones to flex and bend. (This is why very obese people don’t tend to have weak bones – they have to lift their own weight.) (We use a 25-pound weight vest while standing on the vibration-training platform at the office.) Alternatively exercise that involves high impact such as running or jumping will flex bones. No amount of any supplement will help build bones if first you don’t convince your body that you need stronger bones by causing them to flex.
There are specialized cells called osteoblasts that actually do the work of building new bone. These cells need to be healthy and receive the right chemical messengers to do their jobs. If you have any type of anemia, they won’t have the energy to build bone. Likewise if your blood sugar is unbalanced causing insulin and cortisol hormone surges these cells can’t work right. These cells need the right amounts of steroid hormones – testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen to be able to build bone as well as balance in the calcium control hormones calcitonin and parathormone.
If your system is under chronic stress and inflammation then these bone-forming cells will also be stressed and not do their jobs right. Any type of stress, from environmental toxins, to emotional stress, to dietary imbalance can throw off your metabolism. Basically you have to be hormonally and metabolically healthy to have healthy bone growth.
Once all these conditions are met first, then we can worry about getting the raw materials to actually form stronger bones. Number one is good quality protein. Bones are first formed from protein. Protein forms the cellular matrix (kind of like the brick mold) that the minerals like calcium are stuffed into to form the “bricks” that make up the bone. To form this matrix you need to be digesting and absorbing the protein from your foods well. That means eating enough of the right proteins and having enough hydrochloric acid and enzymes to break it down to be absorbed. If you take an acid reflux medication like Prilosec of Nexium, you will not be breaking down your protein foods properly. The acid in your stomach is not optional – it must be there for you to digest your foods. In fact a major study just released states that these drugs are a major cause of bone fractures because of how suppressed hydrochloric acid affects bone building and repair.
To form this cellular matrix you also need a lot of vitamin C. Vitamin C is essential for forming collagen proteins throughout your body – skin, hair, nails, intestines, and bones. Not only does this matrix form the molds for the “mineral bricks” your bones are made of but it also forms the “mortar” that holds the “bricks” together.
Finally we get to discuss the actual minerals you need to form the hard parts of the bones. Calcium you already know. The form of calcium that bones are made of is called calcium hydroxyapatite. This supplemental form is the only form to actually have been proven to grow new bone (this is the type in CalZyme at the office). Bones also need phosphorus, zinc, boron, magnesium, manganese, silicon, and a bunch of trace minerals. As you can see, calcium alone just is not enough.
To absorb minerals from your digestive tract you need to ionize them first with hydrochloric acid. Like protein, hydrochloric acid is essential for being able to get the raw bone forming materials into the body. The lack of sufficient hydrochloric acid is probably the single biggest reason older folks develop osteoporosis. Our ability to form hydrochloric acid decreases each year after we get into our forties. To combat this we usually need to use supplemental hydrochloric acid with meals. Without this we just can’t get the minerals (and proteins) we need into our bodies.
Several studies have shown that the best bone formation takes place with calcium and minerals from food sources rather than supplements. What are the best sources of calcium in foods? Number one is actually eating bones, as in making bone broth or eating softened bones in cooked meats like sardines. Throughout time our ancestors relished eating bone marrow from the animals they caught and ate. The next best sources are spinach, collard greens, turnip and mustard greens, sesame seeds, most vegetables, and many herbs. Milk in a raw form is a good source, but once it has been pasteurized the calcium is no longer available. Fermenting the milk as in yogurt and cheese releases much of the calcium for use.
Certain food factors block calcium absorption such as phytates from grains and oxalic acid in chocolate, tea, spinach, and peanuts. Magnesium competes with calcium for absorption and should be taken at a different time of day. (I prefer calcium in the morning and magnesium in the evening.)Other factors increase the calcium being dumped from the body through the kidneys – mainly sodium and caffeine.
A note I should put in here is about such osteoporosis drugs like Fossamax and Actonil. They work by paralyzing the cells that carve away the bone “bricks” to form the intricate arches that give the bone architecture its strength. Just like in medieval churches, these arches are necessary for the stability and strength of the structure. The end result is new bone that looks like chalk and has the same strength as chalk. Because it is more solid it makes the Dexa-scans that measure osteoporosis seem to say you have more bone, but the bone has no strength. These drugs actually increase bone fractures.
One last critical factor is the need for vitamin D for the absorption and utilization of calcium from the gut. Two thirds of you are deficient in vitamin D. This vitamin (actually a hormone) is essential for a huge number of things in the body. Currently the recommended dose of vitamin D is being upped from 400 units a day to 2000 to 4000 units a day…and even more if you have any auto-immune disorders. To get this much vitamin D from sun exposure converting cholesterol to vitamin D in our skin we would need a minimum of ½ hour of full body exposure to the noonday sun (without any sunscreen). If you supplement you want vitamin D3 – the D2 form is practically worthless (this is the form they put into milk).
So to wrap it up, to build bones you need:
1. Serious weight bearing exercise
2. Good digestion of your proteins (hydrochloric acid)
3. Good digestion of your minerals (hydrochloric acid)
4. No anemia or blood sugar problems
5. Proper hormone balance
6. Healthy not-inflamed bone forming cells
7. No use of heartburn or osteoporosis drugs
8. Lots of vitamin C and vitamin D3
9. Good quality protein every day in your diet
10. Food sourced calcium and minerals
11. Supplemental minerals and calcium (hydroxyapatite)
Yes you can build strong healthy bones, but not by just taking a calcium pill each day. As I said, it is a little more complex than that. Now that you know what is required you are empowered to actually be successful in preventing osteoporosis and even reversing it.