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Prevent Osteoporosis with Egg Shell Calcium, Vitamins D and K2, and Other Nutrients
How do hormones effect bone health?
Hormones play an important role in maintaining bone mass. Once women reach menopause and hormone levels decline, bone loss escalates. Rapid bone loss continues for about five years during menopause, and can reach three to four percent of total bone mass. This surge of bone loss eventually tapers off after a few years, and is about equal to the amount of bone loss in men of the same age. But the loss of bone minerals continues throughout the rest of a person's life—which is one of the reasons there is a lot of excitement about research into daidzein's ability to help stimulate bone formation and mineralization in the same way that hormones do.
Animal experiments as well as bone-tissue and bone-cell-culture investigations have demonstrated daidzein's effect on bone metabolism. Also, daidzein has been shown to enhance bone formation, and help prevent and treat osteoporosis in elderly women.18192021
Progesterone Promotes Bone Health
There's been a lot of discussion lately about the controversy of hormone replacement therapy. Yet, natural progesterone has been proven time and time again to be safe and effective for promoting bone health and balancing problems associated with estrogen dominance. Click here to read more about how women can balance their hormones safely and effectively: Natural Ways To Balance Your Hormones.
Osteoblasts, the bone-building cells, contain progesterone receptors and this hormone appears to directly encourage bone building. Also, during the reproductive years, progesterone works with estrogen to conserve calcium within the body and limit the withdrawal of calcium from the bones.22
In 1991, when Dr. Jerilynn Prior of British Colombia was studying young women athletes, she inadvertently discovered that many of these seemingly normal and healthy athletes had abnormal menstrual periods and were not ovulating. Why? Because they all suffered from a progesterone deficiency. The hormone deficiency was also linked to excessive bone loss. Progesterone supplementation alleviated the menstrual irregularities and corrected the excessive bone loss.23
In postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, natural progesterone supplementation has also been shown to rebuild substantial amounts of lost bone. Dr. John R. Lee has researched the value of estrogens and progesterone for building bone tissue after menopause. His research clearly shows that natural progesterone replacement leads to new bone formation, actively increasing bone mass and density.24
So play it safe. Think of your bones as a savings account. There is only as much bone mass in your account as you deposit, so you want to build as much bone in your early years as possible.
And start early. Whether you're in your teens or 70s, man or woman, now is the time to increase your calcium intake and aid your body in building and maintaining healthy bone mass.
Editor's Note:
The natural health solutions described in this article are available through many on-line retailers including those listed below. By clicking these links you help support the important alternative health research we provide.
Visit www.amazon.com – a great way to find competitive deals on supplements offered by many different manufacturers.
Visit www.hfn-usa.com – when commitment to quality and freshness is important, this factory direct solution is preferred by many of our readers.
This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult with a physician before embarking on a dietary supplement program.
References
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Schaafsma A, van Doormaal JJ, Muskiet FA, Hofstede GJ, Pakan I, van der Veer E. Positive effects of a chicken eggshell powder-enriched vitamin-mineral supplement on femoral neck bone mineral density in healthy late post-menopausal Dutch women. Br J Nutr2002 Mar;87(3):267-75
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Plaza SM, Lamson DW. Vitamin K2 in bone metabolism and osteoporosis. Altern Med Rev. 2005 Mar; 10(1):24-35.
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Picherit C, Coxam V, Bennetau-Pelissero C, Kati-Coulibaly S, Davicco MJ, Lebecque P, Barlet JP.Daidzein is more efficient than genistein in preventing ovariectomy-induced bone loss in rats. J Nutr2000 Jul;130(7):1675-81
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Gao YH, Yamaguchi M. Anabolic effect of daidzein on cortical bone in tissue culture: comparison with genistein effect. Mol Cell Biochem1999 Apr;194(1-2):93-7
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Kritz-Silverstein D, Goodman-Gruen DL. Usual dietary isoflavone intake, bone mineral density, and bone metabolism in postmenopausal women. J Womens Health Gend Based Med 2002 Jan-Feb;11(1):69-78
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Brown, Susan E., Better Bones, Better Body. Keats Publishing, Inc., New Canaan, CT. 1996: 186
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Prior, Jerilynn C., "Progesterone and the prevention of osteoporosis,"The Canadian Journal of Ob&Gyn & Women's Health Care 3.4 (1991): 178-184.
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Lee, John R., Natural Progesterone, third ed. (Sebastopol, CA: BLL Publishing, 1994) 99