Bone Health

A Dutch study of 95,000 Danes undergoing hip or knee replacements has shown in increased risk of heart attack in the 2 weeks following surgery for patients over the age of 60. The results also led to a recommendation that a prior heart attack in the year leading up to surgery should be a contraindication for knee and hip replacement operations.

Vitamin D supplementation is being recommended for all children under the age of 5 as well as all pregnant and breastfeeding women as the number of cases of rickets has quadrupled in the past 15 years.

Rickets is a vitamin D deficiency disease resulting in softening of the bones which can lead to fractures and deformity.

steoporosis results in over 200,000 fractures a year in the UK, and research has shown that silicon supplementation may be an effective tool in strengthening bones.

In fact, several studies have shown an increase in bone formation with silicon (or silica) supplementation, including one where silicon was found to be more effective than the usual medical routes of bisphosphonates and fluoride. Others have shown weaker bones and collagen structures where silicon is deficient.

A new review of 195 studies involving more than 168,000 participants in 44 countries has found that 37.3% of us are deficient in vitamin D – and that Europeans are more deficient than North Americans.

The study compared measurements of 25(OH)D, or calcidiol, in blood samples, which is deemed to be the most effective measurement of vitamin D status. Levels of below 50nmol/l were considered to be deficient.[1]

Calcidiol is the pre-hormone form of vitamin D, and is directly related to calcium absorption. This is why vitamin D is often recommended for those with osteoporosis, rickets and other conditions where bones need to be strengthened.

Did you know that common side effects of readily available painkillers such as aspirin include gastric bleeding, indigestion and diarrhoea? These serious side effects can occur within just a couple of days of use. In fact non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) drugs like aspirin cause 12,000 emergency admissions and 2000 deaths from gastric ulcers each year in the UK.

A new study has discovered that asthma sufferers with hyperresponsive airways are at a great risk of lowered bone density in their lumbar spines – the area of the spine between the ribs and the pelvis. Vitamin D may help

A new study has shown that we need to start supporting our bone density much earlier that we imagined. We have known for some time that our bone density peaks in our 20s, and so it may be wise to actively nourish our bones through diet and weight-bearing exercise throughout our adult life. This study goes one step further, showing that the mother’s vitamin D status during pregnancy affects the health of her offspring’s bones in later years.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration in the US) believes that more research is need to assess the long term safety of taking bisphosphonates, a common drug used for treating osteoporosis.

Magnesium really is a super nutrient when it comes to female health and wellbeing; it teams up with B-vitamins to support hormone balance, nourishes the nervous system and plays a vital role in energy production within each and every cell.