Bone Basics

Bone health supplements are important because the human skeleton consists of 206 bones, and even an astute diet cannot always provide the amounts of calcium, vitamin D and other essential nutrients required to sustain their optimal health. 

Ossein Microcrystalline Hydroxyapatite Complex (MCHC) is a freeze-dried extract of bovine bone that retains the intact microcrystalline structure and micronutrient content of whole bone and is a full-spectrum nutrient source in its own right. It contains a unique calcium source that has been proven in over 30 years of clinical trials to be the best calcium source for bone building and maintenance. Furthermore, MCHC is rich in phosphorus, which makes up more than half of the mineral content of bone and is needed for the functioning of osteoblasts, which are cells that are responsible for building new bone.

The MCHC in Bone Basics originates from Australian and New Zealand livestock not subjected to routine antibiotics and recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), thus, providing assurance against spongiform encephalopathy, otherwise known as mad cow disease.Bone Basics also contains magnesium, an essential mineral that binds together with phosphorus and calcium in bone infrastructure. Boron, glucosamine, vitamin K1 and D3, as well as zinc, copper and manganese, are also included in Bone Basics for the maintenance of bone health. So, why is bone health important? Continue reading to learn more. 

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a silent painless disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks.

Women are four times more likely than men to develop the disease and often have a hard time getting all of the calcium they need to maintain strong bones. Three out of four get less than the recommended intake of 1200 mgs daily with the greater population getting less than half. At this rate, it's not uncommon for women to develop osteoporosis and to suffer fractures easily. And it's not only the lack of calcium in the diet that may be causing the disease, but lifestyle choices as well.

Smoking and too much alcohol both weaken our bones, while the lack of weight-bearing exercise hinders the capability to build and maintain bone strength. Primary osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to enhanced bone fragility and increased fracture risk. It is also characterized by an abnormal mineral/collagen ratio.

Primary osteoporosis represents bone mass loss unassociated with any other chronic illness. It is related to aging; loss of the gonadal function in females and the aging process in males.

Osteoporosis in men has recently been recognized as an important health problem, as almost 30% of all hip fractures and up to 20% of symptomatic vertebral fractures occur in men. Osteoporosis is insidious because you can't see or feel what's happening. Most people who have the disease don't know it, until a bone breaks. Though the obvious problems usually occur later in life, we now know that the invisible damage begins earlier - much earlier than most of us realize. A woman's estrogen levels can drop when she over-exercises or under-eats. One sign of low estrogen is missed periods and this can affect your bone density. Most young women have normal cycles and enjoy the natural protection of estrogen, which plays a vital role in bone health. But as our estrogen production slows, bone loss begins. Starting around age 35 we lose up to one per cent of our bone mass each year. These losses accelerate rapidly after menopause.

Strong bones, or protection from osteoporosis, are not dependent upon calcium alone. While elemental calcium is essential, other minerals and nutrients, including protein and vitamins C, D3, B1 and K1 are needed to maintain and correct calcium levels and promote superior bone health.

Changes in posture and gait are as universally associated with aging as changes in the skin and hair.

Posture and gait are centered on the health of the 206 bones that comprise the human skeleton. These bones do not directly contact each other as they are connected (and cushioned) by the cartilage, membranes, and fluid that comprise the joints.

As people age, bone mass and/or density are gradually lost, especially in women after menopause. The bones lose calcium, magnesium and other minerals, making the bones thinner in a process referred to as osteopenia. Osteopenia, over time and further bone loss, leads to full-blown osteoporosis. Minerals such as calcium are constantly being added to and taken away from the bone. When these minerals are taken away faster than they can be added, (a process that accelerates with age) the bones become lighter, less dense, and more porous. This makes the bones weaker and increases their risk of fracture. Bone Mineral Density (BMD) tests can measure the extent of this process with regular x-rays, but such tests cannot measure any mild onset of osteopenia. In fact, a bone must lose at least a quarter of its weight before a regular X-ray can detect the problem.

Maintaining Bone Health: A One-A-Day May Not Cover It

The thicker the bones are, the less likely a person is to suffer a fracture and the longer it takes to develop osteopenia and later osteoporosis. This is the most plausible explanation for why post-menopausal women comprise 80% of osteoporosis sufferers. Maintaining a high level of Bone Mineral Density (BMD) is therefore a point of order for this demographic, not to mention anyone else for whom bone health is a concern.

Traditional methods of maintaining bone health correlate with the efforts of health-conscious individuals who supplement with a daily multivitamin/multi-mineral. Users of such an essential supplement (combined with a sensible diet) often assume that it covers something as elemental as bone health. The fact of the matter is that people in the high-risk demographic for developing osteopenia likely have a higher need for certain specific essential nutrients, especially minerals. Of these, calcium is certainly one of the most familiar. Most recommended daily allowances for calcium stand at around 1,000 milligrams, although 1,500 milligrams are recommended for those in the osteopenia high-risk group. Even with the effects of processing taken into account, calcium is still prevalent to such a degree in common dairy foods such as milk and cheese that deficiencies are not as widespread as that of other minerals. Nevertheless, deficiencies do occur, and it is noteworthy to remember that even the finest multi-vitamin/multi-mineral one-a-days rarely contain more than 300 milligrams of calcium.

Another nutrient essential to bone health is vitamin D. Vitamin D is the single most important factor in the absorption of calcium. A superior form of vitamin D is vitamin D3 (also known as cholecalciferol), a colorless crystalline compound found in fish-liver oils. Research has shown that cholecalciferol is the preferred, active form of vitamin D in the body. Although humans are fully capable of endogenous vitamin D production, this is dependent upon adequate exposure to the UVB rays in sunlight, making a constant, steady intake of this vitamin difficult for high-risk demographics who are often confined indoors. This is compounded by the lack of sunlight in the winter months and in more extreme latitudes, further underlying the importance of supplementation. Clinical trials show that calcium supplementation provides better results when combined with vitamin D at doses greater than 300 IU per day.

Magnesium is another mineral commonly associated with the maintenance of bone health, which is very easy to fathom when one considers that two-thirds of the body's magnesium stores are located in our bone structure. Much of the magnesium within this bone structure is part of the bone's crystal lattice (which can metaphorically be referred to as the "bone scaffolding") where it binds together with the minerals phosphorus and calcium. Magnesium on its own has been shown to slow the rate of bone turnover, which is when the growth of new bone is outpaced by the degeneration of old. Magnesium shortages result in the reduced assimilation of vitamin D as well as the inhibition of parathyroid hormone, leading to low blood calcium levels.

Magnesium also seems to work synergistically with MCHC (see below) by helping to form smaller, denser, microcrystalline hydroxyapatite crystals, providing yet another avenue for strong bone development. In a two-year, open, controlled trial, 71% of women receiving magnesium supplements experienced increased bone mineral density whereas the women not receiving supplements suffered bone loss. The amount of magnesium in even the highest quality multi-vitamin/multi-mineral supplements is still well below levels which researchers believe are needed for prevention in high-risk demographics.

Several other minerals have also been identified as co-factors for enzymes involved in bone metabolism - notably zinc, copper, and manganese. The latter is essential for the proper function of the osteoblast cells that are responsible for building new bones. Manganese also increases the activity of the enzyme alkaline phosphatase as well as growth factors such as estrogen and IGF-1 in a manner that is directly pertinent to these osteoblast cells. Copper is essential for producing an enzyme called lysyl oxidase which cross-links (strengthens) collagen. Zinc, in turn, is essential for the operation of copper, since unbalanced zinc intake can reduce copper absorption.

There are also certain nutrients that are especially noted for their effects on bone integrity. These include Ossein Microcrystalline Hydroxyapatite Complex (MCHC) and glucosamine hydrochloride (HCI). MCHC is a freeze-dried extract of bovine bone, and this process of lyophilization is important in retaining the intact microcrystalline structure of the whole bone. This is a significant differentiation from regular bone meal, which uses a heat-treated process called "ashing". Many of the unique bone-building factors of MCHC are heat-sensitive and simply do not survive this process, and this has been demonstrated in clinical studies comparing MCHC directly to bonemeal.

Furthermore, the ideal source for MCHC would be pasture-fed, free-range livestock not subjected to routine antibiotics or recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH). This would not only ensure that the widest possible range of micronutrients within the whole bone extract would survive the manufacturing process, but it would also provide assurances against bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly referred to as mad cow disease. The most reputable sources of such livestock appear to be from Australian, New Zealand and Argentine pastures, where local legislation and/or custom either prohibits, limits or discourages routine antibiotics and recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH).

MCHC is, in effect, a full-spectrum multiple-nutrient source in its own right. However, it is particularly rich in calcium, and the type of calcium in MCHC has been clinically proven in over 30 years of randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trials to be the best calcium source for bone-building and maintenance. Other calcium sources such as calcium gluconate, calcium citrate, calcium carbonate, calcium citrate-malate and even coral calcium (which in fact is simply calcium carbonate with a sprinkling of trace minerals) may be capable of slowing down the rate of bone loss. MCHC, in contrast, has actually been proven to halt and even reverse bone loss attributable to osteoporosis.

Glucosamine is an amino monosaccharide, meaning that it is the product of a synthesis between glucose and amino acid -in this case, glutamine. Glucosamine is produced naturally in the body by chondrocytes in cartilage to help maintain and build healthy joint tissue. The main basic purpose of glucosamine is to create long chains of modified disaccharides called glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which the joints and cartilage require for repair. The GAGs are the main component of proteoglycans (PGs), which along with chondrocytes and collagen, make up cartilage. Glucosamine is also converted in the body to N-acetyl-glucosamine, which in turn is critical to the formation of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is the central component of synovial fluid which acts as a lubricant in the joints.