Skeleton Pirate

Skeleton Pirate
Artist: LindaB

WELCOME TO STRONTIUM FOR BONES BLOG

Have you experienced negative, and even dangerous, side effects from Fosamax (alendronate), Boniva (ibandronate), Actonel (risedronate), Reclast (zoledronic acid), Prolia (denosumab), Forteo (teriparatide), Tymlos (abaloparatide), or other drugs prescribed for osteoporosis? If you have, then rest assured there is a safe, effective treatment for this condition. Strontium, primarily in the form of strontium citrate, is taken orally once a day.

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Blog Archive

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Dietary Patterns and Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women with Osteoporosis



Background/Objectives:

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between dietary patterns and bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

Subjects/Methods:
This cross-sectional study included 156 postmenopausal and osteoporotic Brazilian women aged over 45 years. BMD of lumbar spine, total femur (TF), femoral neck and of total body (TB), as well as body composition (fat and lean mass), was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Body mass index and lifestyle information were also obtained. Dietary intake was assessed by using a 3-day food diary. Dietary patterns were obtained by principal component factor analysis. Adjusted multiple linear regression analysis was applied in order to evaluate the predictive effect of dietary patterns on BMD. Significance was set at P less than 0.05.

Results:
Five patterns were retained: ‘healthy’, ‘red meat and refined cereals’, ‘low-fat dairy’, ‘sweet foods, coffee and tea’ and ‘Western’. The ‘sweet foods, coffee and tea’ pattern was inversely associated with TF BMD (β=−0.178; 95% CI: −0.039 to −0.000) and with TB BMD (β=−0.320; 95% CI: −0.059 to −0.017) even after adjusting for energy and calcium intake, lean mass, age and postmenopausal time.

Conclusions:
A concomitant excessive consumption of sweet foods and caffeinated beverages appears to exert a negative effect on BMD even when the skeleton already presents some demineralization. Food and beverage intake is a modifiable factor that should not be neglected in the treatment of individuals with osteoporosis.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (25 March 2015) | doi:10.1038/ejcn.2015.27



8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi there,I've been following you for quite some time.You are doing great,keep up the great work!You're truly an inspiration.But I have a question for you:would strontium citrate increase bone size/thickness in a healthy individual who has no osteoporosis?Like,after a few months/years on strontium,could an individiual notice bone growth where is easily noticeable,toes,fingers,wrists,ankles etc.Thanks and good luck!

BoneLady said...

To: Anonymous of 4/6/2015,

A healthy individual with no osteopenia or osteoporosis should not take strontium citrate. Individuals taking strontium citrate will not notice any change in the thickness of their bones. It would take micro-CT analysis of bone biopsies from strontium-treated patients to evidence changes, such as increased trabecular number, decreased trabecular separation, lower structure model index, and increased cortical thickness. These changes demonstrate improvement in intrinsic bone tissue quality.

Unknown said...

I saw your reply only now.You are saying that individuals taking strontium will not notice changes in the thickness of their bones,but from what i've read strontium acts as a bone thickener,it builds new bone and causes the outer cortical bone to become thicker.Source: http://saveourbones.com/strontium-demistyfied/.Now I'm a little bit confused:are you saying that strontium will not thicken bones,or it will thicken them but only to a small degree,which can be observed only through micro-CT analysis and not with the bare eye?If it's the latter option,then how much strontium and for how long will make a difference in thickness?
Thank you,
Someone with very frail bones

BoneLady said...

Dunai Szalbolcs,

Strontium will increase cortical thickness by small but significant amounts visible only by micro-CT analysis of bone biopsies.

The recommended amount of strontium for osteoporosis is 680 mg daily from 2 grams of a strontium salt. For osteopenia, 340 mg daily may be effective.

According to the scientific literature, after three years of taking 2 grams strontium ranelate (680 mg strontium) daily, significant changes can be seen in the microarchitecture of bones using micro-CT analysis of bone biopsies.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17922612

Save Our Bones is a commercial website that sells supplements and other products; therefore, its information is biased. It is not a scientific source.

Szabolcs said...

Dear BoneLady,

Could this increase in cortical thickness be observed with the "bare" eye?I'm talking about bony areas like wrists ankles fingers jaw etc. where an increase in bone size is more easily observed then,let's say in the spine or upper legs.Also,can this increase be observed with a measuring tape?Let's say one measures his/her wrist/ankle before taking strontium,and after years of taking it,could they be thicker with a few mms or even cms?Going by your analogy of steel jackets around bridge supports,I would say it probably could,but I am awaiting your professional opinion.

Thank you for your informative answers,
Kindest of regards

BoneLady said...

Szabolcs,

These questions are basically the same as your previous question, which I already answered.

No, the increase in cortical thickness cannot be observed with the bare eye.

No, the increase in cortical thickness cannot be measured with a measuring tape.

As I replied to you before, “strontium will increase cortical thickness by small but significant amounts visible only by micro-CT analysis of bone biopsies.”

Micro-CT uses x-rays to create cross-sections of a physical object that can be used to recreate a virtual 3D model without destroying the original object. The prefix micro- (symbol: µ) is used to indicate that the pixel sizes of the cross-sections are in the micrometer range.

The micrometer (µm), also commonly known as a micron, is an SI derived unit of length equaling 1×10−6 of a meter (SI standard prefix "micro-" = 10−6); that is, one millionth of a meter (or one thousandth of a millimeter, 0.001 mm, or about 0.000039 inch).

We are talking about tiny changes in the microarchitecture of bone. There’s that prefix again—micro.

You mention an analogy of steel jackets around bridge supports and say it is my analogy. It was a reader’s analogy on another post four years ago. I expanded on her analogy. Mom of Three wrote, “As to thickening the outer cortex to strengthen a bone...the state of California put steel jackets around bridge supports and that "stiffening" kept those supports from collapsing in subsequent earthquakes.”

I replied, “I love your analogy comparing taking strontium to increase cortical thickness and strengthen bone with putting steel jackets around bridge supports to strengthen those supports. However, the reduced fracture risk associated with strontium appears to result from changes to both cortical and trabecular bone. Expanding on your analogy, I would say that taking strontium is like putting steel jackets around bridge supports and repairing the bridge itself.”

The purpose of the analogy proposed by Mom of Three and of my expanded version is to help people conceptualize the changes strontium makes to bone microarchitecture. These analogies are not to be taken literally.

http://strontiumforbones.blogspot.com/2011/06/dietary-calcium-intake-and-risk-of.html

Szabolcs said...

Dear BoneLady,

You are right about the analogy,it was the idea of MomOfThree,but nevertheless a great analogy.

So strontium thickens the bones,but only to a small extent.I understand now.Do you happen to know other agents that produce more significant changes in this regard(bone size/thickness/width)?I heard about teriparatide(Forteo) so far,which is promising.

BoneLady said...

Szabolcs,

There is no osteoporosis drug or supplement that will increase bone thickness to a degree visible to the naked eye. Any changes will be in microns and only visible with sophisticated imaging modalities, such as high-resolution micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT).

Forteo (teriparatide) significantly decreases cortical thickness at both the distal radius and distal tibia. Below are the background and conclusions of “Effects of Teriparatide on Bone Microarchitecture in Postmenopausal Women with Osteoporosis,” a paper presented March 6, 2015, at the Endocrine Society’s 97th Annual Meeting and Expo in San Diego, CA.

“Although teriparatide has been shown to increase bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine and hip, BMD at the radius has been shown to decrease with therapy (1, 2). These observations raise the possibility that teriparatide may have varying effects on different peripheral sites, including the radius (non-weight-bearing) and tibia (weight-bearing). We aimed to examine the effects of teriparatide on bone microarchitecture at these peripheral sites in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.”

“Teriparatide therapy significantly decreases cortical thickness at both the distal radius and distal tibia, while increasing trabecular area, thickness and number, at the distal radius. These changes in bone microarchitecture did not result in decreases in estimated bone strength. Further studies will be necessary to better understand the implications of these results on fracture risk at these peripheral sites.”

http://press.endocrine.org/doi/abs/10.1210/endo-meetings.2015.BCHVD.10.OR22-2

Wandering Skeleton

Wandering Skeleton
Artist: Joel Hoekstra

Osteoporotic Bone

Osteoporotic Bone
Source: www.mayoclinic.com

How Strontium Builds Bones

Strontium is a mineral that tends to accumulate in bone. Studies have shown that oral doses of strontium are a safe and effective way to prevent and reverse osteoporosis. Doses of 680 mg per day appear to be optimal. See my "For More Information About Strontium" links section.

Osteoporosis is caused by changes in bone production. In healthy young bones there is a constant cycle of new bone growth and bone removal. With age, more bone is removed and less new bone is produced. The bones become less dense and thus more fragile.

Scientists believe that strontium works in two ways. It may stimulate the replication of pre-osteoblasts, leading to an increase in osteoblasts (cells that build bone). Strontium also directly inhibits the activity of osteoclasts (cells that break down bone). The result is stronger bones.

When taking strontium, be sure to take 1200 mg calcium, 1000 IU vitamin D3, and 500 mg magnesium daily. It is best to take strontium late at night on an empty stomach. Calcium and strontium may compete with each other for absorption if taken together.