Boost Bone Health With Boron And Other Minerals

Bone Health Vitamins presents the following information regarding how to boost your bone health with vitamins and minerals.  Discuss your bone health with your physician and ensure that you are taking the right supplements and vitamins.

About 44 million American men and women suffer from osteoporosis (severe bone loss) or osteopenia (mild bone loss), with women being affected twice as much as men. Each year, at least 1.5 million hip, vertebra, or wrist fractures occur in the United States because of osteoporosis. Although bone mass normally declines after age thirty-five, bone loss that is severe enough to cause fractures after only a minor trauma is a different problem.

Some of the risk factors for osteoporosis include: small body frame, underweight, Caucasian or Asian race, a sedentary lifestyle, cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol or caffeine intake, high intake of carbonated beverages, and having other family member with osteoporosis. Certain medical conditions such as diabetes, celiac disease, hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obstructive lung disease, hyperadrenalism, and hyperparathyroidism are also associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis. There are also some medications that increase the rate of bone loss such as those prescribed for seizures and blood thinning, prednisone and other steroids, aluminum-containing antacids, and loop diuretics. By engaging in regular weight bearing exercise, avoiding excessive consumption of alcohol and caffeine, and quitting smoking, the rate of bone loss will be slowed. Eating adequate amounts of protein and supplementing with various vitamins and minerals also enhances bone health.

Calcium salts are absorbed about the same for most people, absorbing between thirty to forty percent of the administered dose. Those with low stomach acid, hypochlorhydria, should not use calcium carbonate because it is absorbed poorly without stomach acid. For many older people, calcium phosphate is preferable because phosphorus is necessary for normal bone formation. Calcium that is bound to phosphorus is the form in which calcium is stored in the bone, and has a much greater bone activity than other forms.

In order to promote strong bones, vitamin D is a necessary nutrient. Because vitamin D is produced when ultraviolet rays from the sun hit the skin, those people who stay out of the sun, wear sunscreen, or live in a northern latitude are at an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency. Aging also decreases a person’s ability to produce vitamin D in the skin. Supplementation with 700-800 IU of vitamin D per day has been proven to decrease the number of hip fractures by 26%. However, 400 IU per day was ineffective. In addition to improving bone health, vitamin D improves nerve and muscle function in older people, which reduces their risk of falling down. 800 IU of vitamin D per day in elderly women has shown to decrease the number of falls by about 50%. The ‘safe upper limit,’ as determined by The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine is 4,000 IU per day. However, you most likely don’t need nearly this much to help bone issues.

Because bone is a living tissue that is constantly remodeling itself and engaging in many biological functions, it has a wide range of nutritional needs. Not getting enough of one or more of the important micronutrients needed is an important contributing factor to osteoporosis. In addition to supplementing with calcium and vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, vitamin K, boron, strontium, silicon, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, phosphorus, and vitamin C are all shown to have a vital role in bone health. Calcium is a component of the mineral crystals that makes up the bone. Vitamin D enhances calcium absorption and prevents falls by improving nerve and muscle function. Magnesium is important in bone mineralization, which is similar to zinc. However, zinc also increases bone loss. Copper also promotes bone mineralization and decreases bone loss. Manganese plays a vital role in the creation of the connective-tissue components of the bone. Boron supports the creation of bone-protecting hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, and DHEA. Silicon has a vital role in the synthesis of connective-tissue components in the bone. Deficiency of silicon has been associated with bone abnormalities. B vitamins, including folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12, have been shown to lower blood levels of homocysteine. A high level of homocysteine concentration is a very big risk factor for fractures in elderly people. Strontium is a trace mineral that is incorporated into bone and increases bone strength. It stimulates bone formation and inhibits bone breakdown. Vitamin K is best known for its effect on blood clotting. However, it is also required for the creation of osteocalcin, which is a unique protein that is found in bone and participates in the mineralization process. The amount of vitamin K needed for optimal bone health is greater than that amount needed to prevent bleeding. Deficiency in any of these nutrients is often associated with the development of osteoporosis.

There are two forms of vitamin K that are present in food, vitamin K1 and vitamin K2. Vitamin K1 is found in leafy green vegetables and some vegetable oils. Vitamin K2 is found in much smaller amounts in meat, cheese, eggs, and natto. Vitamin K2 can occur in more than one form, menaquinine-4 (MK-4), a licensed prescription drug in Japan, and menaquinone-7 (MK-7), which is extracted from natto. Research has shown that MK-7 is the ideal form of vitamin K. After oral administration, it was better absorber and lasted long in the body compared to MK-4 and vitamin K1. Even though both have shown the ability to prevent osteoporosis, a much lower dosage of MK-7 is required to obtain the beneficial effects. MK-7 has greater biological activity, bioavailability, and more potent effects on the bone.

Strontium is very important in building strong bones. After being studied by bone health researchers, it has been determined that lower doses are not only safer for long-term supplementation, but also have a greater impact on bone health than high doses. Too little of a dose and bone density will be impaired, but too much and health will be impaired. In this case, dosing needs to be just right for optimal impact. Therefore, keeping supplemental strontium at less than 6 mg per day is the best decision.

Nutrients work by different mechanisms than osteoporosis drugs, allowing them to have the ability to be taken with osteoporosis medications and enhance the beneficial effect of these medications. Because calcium and other minerals may interfere with the absorption of osteoporosis medications, they should be taken at least two hours before or two hours after taking osteoporosis medications. It is always best to also discuss the supplements with your healthcare practitioner to create the best health plan for you. The above supplements and other fine products can be found at your friendly internet health food store.

By: Darrell Miller -

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Natural Progesterone For Better Bones And Health

Bone Health Vitamins offers the following article about progesterone and bone health.  Consult your physician before taking any hormones, including any natural products, vitamins or supplements that are "over the counter" products that contain hormones. 

These days you hear a lot about hormones and estrogen in particular especially when it comes to the effects of women aging. Recently we’ve been hearing that hormone replacement therapy may not be the great answer we once thought it was and can, in fact, be dangerous.

But estrogen is not the only hormone in your body and in fact, progesterone is just as important and as much a part of the aging process as estrogen. Hormone replacement pills often contain synthetic progestins which in themselves may not be so good for you and at the least do nothing at all. However, natural progesterone can be quite beneficial in helping your body in a few key areas.

Natural progesterone has not shown to be toxic or cause any increased risk of disease even when taking at much higher levels in the body typically produces. In fact, it is then shown that breast cancer cells which were exposed to natural progesterone did not multiply as fast as those cells which were not exposed to it so there may be some protection against breast cancer.

Another thing that natural progesterone can help in aging body with his bone health. We all know that as women age, the risk of osteoporosis increases. One of the reasons for this, although it is not widely publicized is that your body does not produce as much progesterone. In fact this can happen in even younger women who, for some reason, do not ovulate properly be it due to excessive exercise or other factors.

You see, your bones are made up of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Osteoblasts are responsible for building new bone and they are stimulated into production by progesterone. And osteoclasts, on the other hand, are responsible for the removal of old bone and are stimulated into production by estrogen. If you are producing too much estrogen in comparison to progesterone, then your body is taking way old bone but not building any new bone.

Natural progesterone can also help with a slew of other symptoms including migraine headaches, hot flashes, unstable blood sugar, depression, ovarian cysts and a lot more!

You can get natural progesterone pills, but the easiest way is probably to just get a natural progesterone cream that you can buy without a prescription. You should check with your doctor before doing this though because you want to be sure that this will not interfere with any other medications or hormone replacements that he has you on. The creams are quite easy to use and you simply rub them on a thin skin area such as your breasts, or underneath your arms. Depending on whether you are premenopausal or postmenopausal you may use the cream on different days out of the month.

By: Lee Dobbins -

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

How To Avoid Osteoporosis

Bone Health Vitamins offers the following article regarding how to avoid osteoporosis.  Discuss your bone health with your physician to discover how vitamins can positively impact your bone health! 

Osteoporosis is expected to affect a growing number of people and prevention is becoming increasingly important. Most individuals do not meet their daily intake of vitamin D because of people’s lifestyle and climate. A deficiency of vitamin D can lead to various health problems including osteoporosis.

A common disease that affects more women than men, osteoporosis often goes undetected at the early stage but can become quite debilitating as it is usually the reason behind falls and bone fractures. Osteoporosis is characterized by an accelerated loss of bone mass, resulting in more fragile bones that are susceptible to fractures. As life expectancy increases in North America and in many countries, osteoporosis is expected to affect a growing number of people and prevention is becoming increasingly important.

One of the best ways to avoid this disease is to ensure an appropriate intake of calcium and vitamin D from birth since bone development during childhood and adolescence is a key determinant of adult skeleton health. Although it’s never too late to build up your calcium and vitamin D stores, the earlier you start, the more you’ll benefit when you’re older. The recommended daily intake of vitamin D depends on your age. From age 4 to age 50, 400 IU. Over age 50, 800 IU and 200 IU during pregnancy and breast feeding.

BEST WAYS TO OVERCOME OSTEOPOROSIS

The sun is clearly the main source of vitamin D but there are other food sources including dairy products, eggs and fish. Vitamin D plays a key role in helping the body absorb calcium from food to build strong bones. It is estimated that vitamin D can boost calcium absorption by 30% to 80%. Most individuals do not meet their daily vitamin D requirements because of people’s lifestyle and climate. A deficiency of this vitamin can lead to various health problems like high blood pressure, fatigue, joint problems, skin rashes and osteoporosis.

VITAMIN D AND NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS

Everyone, regardless of age, must get enough vitamin D to ensure proper bone development but there are some groups that are more susceptible to vitamin D deficiency. In the first place, the Elderly, because its production by the skin slows down as we age. The elderly must therefore make sure to get an adequate supply of vitamin D in order to maintain good bone health and prevent the ravages of osteoporosis. Then you have the people with little exposure to sunlight. Such individuals must obtain their vitamin D from natural supplements. They can get all daily vitamin D with Instant Sunshine and all Calcium with Ultimate Calcium.  Take action and responsibility for your health now.

Gilles Coulombe B.A, B.LL D.S.A.
For more information, go to health frontier.

By Gilles Coulombe Published: 8/28/2008

How To Choose The Best Mutivitamins For You?

Bone Health Vitamins offers the following information regarding Multivitamins and your health, including bone health.  Consult your physician regarding the best vitamins for your bone health!

Multivitamins are small nutrient-laden power capsules, tablets containing more than one single vitamin. Therefore, the term multi. They may also contain dietary minerals, herbal extracts along with the vitamins.

These multi vitamins come in various combinations – and a person is required to take them depending on the deficiencies in his body. It is not necessary that all multivitamins will suit his requirements – infact  taking them blindly can lead to an overdose also. Studies are still on about who should take what kind of multivitamin pill, and how much.

A wrong diet and faulty routine makes most people short of nutrients.
Multivitamins prove to provide immense and remarkable health benefits for a person requiring them. A daily dose of a multivitamins is an inexpensive and effective way to safeguard and promote your health, specially the ailing, the old or some specific group of people requiring extra nutrients such as pregnant women, athletes etc.

But, before we proceed further, it is important to mention that external vitamins should be avoided as far as possible, unless very necessary. It is best to get your body requirement of vitamins from a healthy diet along with sunlight, proper water intake, adequate amount of rest and exercise. This is the natural way to perfect health!

Why popularity of multivitamins is growing?

The typical pressures of the modern day to day life, along with a sedentary indoor lifestyle coupled with deficiencies of essential daily nutrients due to junk food intake, puts our bodies under a tremendous amount of pressure. That’s why it has practically become a requirement to take nutritional supplements for daily nutrition.

Multi vitamins are not only laden with vitamins, but also minerals and anti-oxidants.

These include Vitamin A – required for good vision, vitamin C – essential for body immunity and overall health, vitamin K – vital for bone health, vitamin E – which boosts the immune and cardiovascular function, as well as the various vitamin B’s.

Essential minerals include calcium – which is necessary for good muscle functioning and bone development, magnesium – for nerve and heart functioning, and zinc – which is required for proper immune function, eye health and cardiovascular well being.

Antioxidants effectively defend the body against the perils of free radicals, and therefore are an important component of any good multi vitamin. The most popular antioxidants are coenzyme Q10 – necessary for heart and liver health, selenium – helps cope with certain degenerative diseases, such as cancer; and lutein – good for eyesight.

Some multivitamins also contain herbal extracts such as ginger – helps reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, Asian ginseng – helpful in diabetes, provides energy etc.

How to choose a multi vitamin?

Nowadays, one can get a vitamin supplement for any ailment, any deficiency – eyes, heart, brain, allergies, skin disorder, vitality, cardiovascular problems, sex related, even weight management. You just have to name the problem – and the chemist will probably put you in a fix on which one to take.

But before buying one, it is crucial to read the labels on these supplements, because many daily vitamins may be lacking in the basic key nutrients essential for overall health.

The best way to choose a multi-vitamin is to look for:

Quantity of nutrient being provided. Look for 100% of the Daily Recommended Allowance of minerals and vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, folic acid, and D. Plus at least 20 micrograms of vitamin K, for strong bones.

Quality of the vitamin being provided. Its best to go for one with no added colours, flavours, preservatives.

Form – whether well packaged, free of moisture etc.

Date of expiration

A good multivitamin is not a magical pill to solve all your problems – but will give you a guarantee that one is getting the proper amount of vitamins and minerals needed for maintaining good health.

Who are more likely to need multivitamin supplements?

* Persons over the age of 60 as they do not get all the nutrients they need. This can be due to a variety of causes such as ageing itself may make the absorption and utilization of certain nutrients more difficult.

* Pregnant women and lactating mothers – This group of people need about 400 IU of folic acid daily, which can be from a multivitamin. Folic acid found in supplements is better absorbed by the body than the vitamin found naturally in food.
* Pre-menopausal women – need extra amount of iron, Vitamin B12 and calcium, so as to prevent problems like osteoporosis in old age.

* Weight-watchers and persons who are heavy alcoholics

* Any person who is short of a balanced diet – a diet consisting of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and small servings of chicken or fish is sort of a balanced diet. So, check out your daily diet. Are you falling short of folic acid, B6, and B12 as they help lowering homocysteine levels in the blood and thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Precautions while taking a multi vitamin -

Some basic caution is required before taking multivitamins, especially if any medical conditions exist, such as pregnancy or if aged.

Multivitamins may rarely be toxic unless large doses of various vitamins or minerals are taken.

By: tom alter

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Help Your Bones with Calcium

Bone Health Vitamins offers the following article regarding Calcium and your bone health.  Discuss how Calcium can impact your bones with your physician.

Calcium is a very important mineral to ensure the proper development and health of your bones and teeth throughout your lifetime. You should ensure that you are ingesting the daily requires amounts of calcium, starting as a child.

Your body needs calcium at a young age to develop strong bones and teeth. This may not mean a lot when you’re young, but later on when your bones are brittle, your spine is bent over with osteoporosis and your teeth are falling apart, you’ll be asking yourself why you didn’t get enough calcium when you were young.

Osteoporosis reduces your bone mineral density, basically making your bones weaker and prone to fracturing. Preventing osteoporosis should be a concern early in life, as bone mass development culminates at the age of 30. After that it is imperative to continue to maintain the strength of your bones and teeth with calcium, Vitamin D and exercise, although this maintenance system would be a lot easier if you helped build your strong bones and teeth with calcium at an earlier age, from ten years old onwards.

Calcium also works at developing the body’s lymphatic fluids, which is important to the immune system.

Vitamin D is required in order for your bones to be able to absorb calcium. Good sources of vitamin D are eggs and milk, and fifteen minutes of sunlight each day. Our bodies absorb the sunlight to create our own Vitamin D. The best time to harvest all this sunlight is early in the morning when the light is not yet harsh.

Weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, jogging, dancing and weight-lifting, also help strengthen our bones and teeth and fight calcium depletion.

Research has shown that individuals who were breast fed as babies are noted to have stronger teeth than those who were weaned to drinking cow’s milk right away, and especially those who stopped drinking milk at an early age. Pregnant women should take more liberal amounts of calcium than normal, because their babies are often depleting their mothers’ calcium. Smoking and drinking also deplete calcium and weaken the bones.

We need different levels of calcium at different ages. Infants from birth to six months should get 210 mg of calcium a day, while the calcium levels are raised to 270 mg a day from 7 to 12 months. Children up to three years should then get an average of 500 mg of calcium daily, rising to 800 in the next four years, then to 1,300 mg throughout their teenage life. At the age of 19, the recommended daily allowance of calcium has lowered to 1000 mg a day, until the age of 50. Those 50 years old and older must increase their intake of calcium up to 1,200 mg.

Too much calcium, on the other hand, can also be inadvisable as it could lead to hypocalcaemia, which will lower your body’s ability to absorb other nutrients. It could also weaken your kidneys.

Calcium is best found in milk and other dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt. People who are allergic to dairy products, are lactose intolerant and/or are vegans, or vegetarians who refuse to consume any kind of animal products, could also get their calcium from other sources, such as seaweed, particularly kelp and hijiki, nuts, oranges, vegetables such as broccoli, okra, collard greens and kale, and sardines, among others. Soy milk is also used as a substitute for milk, as with fortified orange juice. And of course, there are many excellent calcium supplements on the market. Calcium supplements usually also contain some amount of Vitamin D in their formulation.

So, whether you are lactose intolerant or not, there are no excuses not to get your recommended doses of calcium daily. In the long run, your bones and teeth will thank you for it.

Colin Albert runs the CalciumShop website. The website discusses a new product called SolarCal D, an all-natural supplement that uses marine grade coral calcium, Vitamin D and magnesium to aid the body in maintaining bone health.

What are the Best Vitamins Recommended for Women?

Bone Health Vitamins presents the following article regarding the best vitamins for women to take.  We recommend discussing any changes in your vitamin routine with your physician.

With so many vitamin companies on the market it gets increasingly difficult to know what is safe and reliable today. Take a sneak preview what to trust your health to these days!

The Women Health magazine mentions in its May review – "While Food and Drug Administration daily value recommendations for vitamins haven’t changed since 1968, what we know about nutrition has. The Institute of Medicine has new recommendations for vitamins called dietary reference intakes."

The main four essential multivitamin supplements that women require are

– Calcium,
– Vitamin D,
– Magnesium and
– Vitamin K

Finding the best brand of vitamin supplements can be quite difficult with so many brands to choose from on the market. Though this may seem to be impossible with every manufacturer saying they are the best, we have found it not to be the case.

Today more so than before you can do your due diligence by finding reviews that independently compare vitamin. It is important to find a calcium pill that has Vit D in it as the Vit D helps in the best absorption of the calcium into your cells.

Calcium is best needed to help develop peak levels of bone mass in the growth years of a developing woman. If minerals such as calcium intakes are lower in the early years the onset of osteoporosis is quite common when adulthood is reached.

"The most important time to get a sufficient amounts of calcium is while bone growth and consolidation are occurring, a period that continues until approximately age 30 to 35," says Marilyn Stephenson, a registered dietitian with FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "The idea is, if you can build a maximum peak of calcium deposits early on, this may delay fractures that occur later in life." This article maybe read at http://www.enotalone.com/article/7847.html

The supplementation of magnesium not only assist with proper absorption of calcium but also plays an important role in disease protection, lowering the risk of diabetes, heart disease and colon cancer. New DRIs say that we should be taking at least 320mgs a day of magnesium for best results.

Vitamin D is fat soluble and is sparingly found in foods, maybe found as an added nutrient to processed foods or maybe taken as a supplement pill. This special vitamin may also be produced by the action of ultra violet rays of the sun converting Vit D in our skin. For Vitamin D to be bioavailable in our bodies it has to undergo a couple of changes in our body system for it to be beneficial and play its part in calcium absorption.

The importance of Vit D in our bodies especially women are that it helps in the calcium absorption in the intestine and helps to maintain required amounts of serum calcium and phosphate level concentrations which are important for bone mineralization and prevention of hypocalcemic tetany.

Hypocalcemic tetany means less serum calcium resulting in muscle spasms. The lack of Vit D will trigger bone brittleness and thinness such as found in patients suffering from rickets. Proper levels of Vit D helps prevent rickets in children. If you took adequate amounts of calcium along with Vit D the occurrence of osteoporosis in adults is reduced.

Vitamin K is an important ingredient that helps with bone health. Though Vit K has benefits you should always consult your doctor if you are on medication as it can interfere with blood thinners in drugs.

What vitamins prenatal or pregnant women need for optimum health?

For women who are exercising regularly or are pregnant it is recommended that their iron intake should be increased as compared to females who are not. The reason why iron is important during this period is because it plays a vital role in helping hemoglobin to best deliver oxygen to our cells in greater amounts.

The lack of or loss of iron will cause headaches, pallor and fatigue among women. Try taking a vitamin that has all the B complex supplements in it. The B group of vitamins help in energy production and good carbohydrate metabolism.

Please be aware that women over the age of 50 may need less iron as they do not loose iron as younger women do during their periods. If older women have an iron problem then they need to consult their doctor as the loss of iron could be something their doctor needs to look into.

If women find it hard to have a meat diet, then it is recommended that they should consider supplementing vitamins with the B group of vitamins and iron. Women get tired more easily than men and hence need more B group of vitamins. They can add carrot juice to boost the delivery of Vit A.

For those women who are considering becoming pregnant it is prudent to start supplementation of a high quality vitamin before pregnancy.

Vit B9 or folic acid plays an important role in reducing spina bifida in infants.This infant deformity occurs early in the pregnancy if folic acid is absent.

Taking a high quality fish oil supplement from a trusted vitamin manufacturer will help with the development of the baby’s brain. Omega 3 fatty acids have been found to improve the baby’s brain development during pregnancy.

If you are considering falling pregnant please be warned that some supplements have Vit A present in them. Vit A can harm the unborn baby in the womb.

Trading Standards watchdogs and charity Birth Defects Foundation Newlife found a third of products do not carry clear labels showing they contain vitamin A.

Best Vitamins Recommended For Women
Why women must take a proactive approach in their health today? Take a closer look now!