A new study finds that boosting alkali levels by eating a diet rich in fruits and veggies (or taking a supplement) can strengthen the bones of healthy older adults and so be an aid to preventing osteoporosis.
As you age, your genetics, what you eat and other lifestyle factors will contribute to your bone density and lead to any potential loss.
At first calcium and vitamin D earned all the attention in terms of preventing bone loss, only now has the acid/base balance of the diet been considered as part of the bone health picture.
The average American diet causes a pH imbalance in the body. The cereal grains and proteins and phosphoric acid (what’s in soda) we eat metabolize into acid like compounds that have been linked to the loss of bone minerals.
What’s more, as we age it gets harder to excrete acid from the body…
This is where the body steps in to try and fix things using a process known as bone reabsorption. This causes bones to be broken down to release vital minerals like calcium, phosphates and alkaline (basic) salts into the blood.
Research has shown that a diet high in alkaline substances like fruits and vegetables, once metabolized adds bicarbonate to the body that help in preventing bone loss.
Bicarbonate is a simple alkaline mineral that can easily be given in supplement form… a well-tolerated option, as the changes in diet needed are not always palatable to most people. Especially older adults who have well established eating patterns.
The most recent study, supported by grants from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and other U.S. agencies, included 171 healthy subjects over age 50.
The men and women were randomly assigned to be given a placebo, or doses of potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate or potassium chloride for a period of three months.
Subjects were also given 600 mg of calcium and 525 international units of vitamin D daily as well as multivitamins.
“In this study, we demonstrated that adding alkali in pill form reduced bone resorption and reduced the losses of calcium in the urine over a three month period. This intervention warrants further investigation as a safe and well tolerated supplement to reduce bone loss and fracture risk in older men and women,” lead author Dr. Bess Dawson-Hughes, of Boston’s Tufts University School of Medicine reported in an Endocrine Society news release.
The study appears in the January 2008 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Continues below…
*Highly Recommended*
Store Cupboard Remedies that Really Work…
If you regularly buy over the counter drugs, don’t waste any more money.
You can now easily treat any illness without side effects, using only natural herbs, vitamins and nutrients!
Charles Silverman N.D. Certified Naturopathic and Herbalist Doctor has taken his 18 years research and experience as a naturopathic doctor and condensed it into a home remedy encyclopeida of the most powerful, and more importantly proven, home remedies.
You can eliminate the Flu virus, boost your immune system, and recover faster from colds using these home remedies…
As well as sleep better, look younger and treat any skin problem with your own skin care home remedies and recipes.
Want to know more..? Just click through
Avoid the Risk of Weak Bones in Later Life… continued
The results show that the bicarbonate affected the outcome, though potassium didn’t.
Bicarbonate had a favorable effect on both bone resorption and calcium excretion. This suggests that increasing the alkali content, whether by eating more fruits and veggies or supplementing may be helpful in preventing bone loss in otherwise healthy older adults.
Casting an eye to the acid/base mix of the diet might be a smart move, especially if you’re worried about bone loss.
The researchers write, “Reducing the rate of bone resorption in older adults to levels observed in healthy young adults is desirable because lower turnover rates have been associated with reduced rates of bone loss and lower fracture rates.”
Translate to recovering the bone health of your younger days is as easy as upping the fruits and veggies you’re eating, and could make the difference between brittle bones and preventing osteoporosis.
