Editor's Note: In this article, Art Solbrig delves deep into an evidence-based supplement regimen designed specifically to bolster the well-being of individuals grappling with osteoporosis. While Art has previously touched upon the advantages of melatonin for bone health, this piece takes a step further. Highlighting not just one, but several potential game-changers—magnesium, Vitamin K2, strontium citrate, boron, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin D—Solbrig paints a holistic picture of how these supplements can work in tandem to fortify bones and diminish fracture risks.
Previously, I discussed how melatonin is useful for Osteopenia and Osteoporosis here:
https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/melatonin-for-osteoporosis.html
This time, I would like to discuss more of a full regimen that a person with osteoporosis might consider to improve the response time and efficacy beyond what melatonin alone can do and potentially offer other health benefits. Since I have already discussed melatonin for osteoporosis, I won't include that information here, but just mention that anyone with osteoporosis should consider it.
I will be discussing the following supplements in relation to osteoporosis:
1. Magnesium
2. Vitamin K2
3. Strontium Citrate
4. Boron
5. Vitamin B6
6. Vitamin D
Melatonin would make seven, but I didn't write about that one, but rather linked to a previous article I wrote about melatonin for osteoporosis and that link is just below the first sentence above.
Magnesium in many people tends to decline with age and osteoporosis is an age related disease. People with osteoporosis generally have lower levels of magnesium. Osteoporosis affects many more women than men with women accounting for approximately 80% of cases according to the following article :
A relevant study quote :
' Osteoporosis affects more women than men. Of the estimated 10 million Americans with osteoporosis, more than 8 million (or 80%) are women. '
In this study, it is shown that women with osteoporosis tend to have lower magnesium levels, and in this same category of women with low magnesium, lower bone mineral density and higher risk of fractures exist. :
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8313472/
Here is a relevant quote :
' From the various studies carried out on the serum concentration of Mg and its relationship with the bone, it has been shown that lower values are related to the presence of osteoporosis, and that about 30–40% of the subjects analyzed (mainly menopausal women) have hypomagnesaemia. Various dietetic investigations have shown that many people (about 20%) constantly consume lower quantities of Mg than recommended; moreover, in this category, a lower bone mineral density and a higher fracturing risk have been found. '
This next review and meta-analysis comparing multiple studies shows that higher magnesium levels increase bone mineral density in the femoral neck and hips :
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S8756328221003999
Here is a relevant quote :
' This systematic review indicates that a higher magnesium intake may support an increase in hip and femoral neck BMD. '
In the following study, dietary magnesium is suggested as an important preventative effect for Sarcopenia Osteoporosis as well as fractures :
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5707661/
Here is a relevant quote from the study :
' This study extends scientific knowledge in this area as it is the first to investigate the associations between intakes of Mg concurrently with measurements of bone and skeletal muscle health in middle and older aged men and women. This is important as these factors are associated with an increased risk of falls, frailty, sarcopenia, and fractures. Higher intakes of dietary Mg were positively associated with a greater grip strength, indices of skeletal muscle mass, and BMD in both men and women aged 39–72 years continuously across the distribution of intakes. '
So magnesium should definitely be part of an anti osteoporosis regimen.
This systematic review and meta analysis of multiple studies shows that vitamin K2 (VK2) indicates that VK2 improves bone mineral density (BMD) and bone strength.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9403798/
Here is a relevant quote from the systematic review and meta-analysis:
' The results of this meta-analysis seem to indicate that VK2 supplementation has a positive effect on the maintenance and improvement of BMD LS in postmenopausal women, and it can also reduce the fracture incidence, serum uc-OC levels and the ratio of uc-OC to cOC. In conclusion, VK2 can indirectly promote bone mineralization and increase bone strength. '
This next systematic review and meta-analysis adds further corroboration to the previous meta-analysis that Vitamin K2 increases bone mineral density (BMD) :
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35711002/
Here is a relevant quote from the meta-analysis:
' This meta-analysis and systematic review seemed to support the hypothesis that vitamin K2 plays an important role in the maintenance and improvement of BMD, and it decreases uc-OC and increases OC significantly at a long-term follow-up. Vitamin K2 supplementation is beneficial and safe in the treatment of osteoporosis for postmenopausal women. '
So, this meta-analysis of many studies confirms that vitamin K2 is a good addition to an osteoporosis regimen. I use the form referred to as Vitamin K2 Menaquinone 7 or VK2M7, for short, and I order the higher dose that has either 200 mcg or 300 mcg.
Strontium citrate (SC) is an over the counter supplement which is not to be confused with Strontium Ranelate (SR) a prescription drug used for osteoporosis in other countries than the US. In an animal study, SC was found to accumulate in the bones similarly to SR, which is a desirable feature in an over the counter supplement. The following study confirms this aspect of SC when compared to SR :
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22995463/
Here is a relevant study quote :
' Bone strontium levels in rats administered strontium citrate were significantly greater (p<0.05) than rats administered strontium ranelate and vehicle. ANCOVA analyses were performed with Sr dose as a covariate to account for differences in strontium dosing. The ANCOVA revealed differences in bone strontium levels between the strontium groups were not significant, but that bone strontium levels were still very significantly greater than vehicle. '
In the following study in osteoporotic women, it was shown that strontium can continue to accumulate in the ankle and finger bones for at least 4 years :
' Furthermore, while it was previously reported by our group, that finger bone Sr levels may plateau within two years, these results suggest otherwise, indicating that bone Sr levels will continue to rise at both bone sites even after 4years of Sr intake.'
Next up is boron, as discussed in the following review of multiple studies suggests that boron is beneficial for bone health and maintain adequate bone mineral density (BMD) at very low dosing :
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0946672X20301425?via=ihub
Here is a relevant quote from this review of multiple studies :
' The studies considered in this narrative review have evaluated the positive effectiveness on bone, in humans, through control of calcium, vitamin D and sex steroid hormone metabolism, considering a dietary supplementation of 3 mg/day of boron (alone or with other nutrients); this supplementation is demonstrably useful to support bone health (in order to prevent and maintain adequate bone mineral density), also considering the daily dose of 3 mg is much lower than the Upper Level indicated by EFSA in the daily dose of 10 mg. '
This suggests that those of you who are already using borax for arthritis are very likely getting significantly more than enough boron to be beneficial for your bones.
The next boron study discusses some of the health benefits of boron which include increasing the absorption of magnesium which is very useful for improving bone health.
https://www.doctorfey.com/functional-medicine-holistic-health-blog/2021/3/15/boron-for-bone-health
Here is a relevant quote from the article :
' Magnesium is crucial for bone health. About 60 % of the magnesium present in the human body is found in the bone, where it acts as a cofactor for numerous enzymes that regulate the metabolism of calcium. Boron appears to significantly improve the absorption of magnesium and its deposition at the bone level. '
In this next study it is shown that when serum B6 drops below a certain level the risk of osteoporosis increases :
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6615830/
A relevant study quote :
' A relatively low serum Vit B6 concentration, even in the normal range, may be a risk factor for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, which is dependent on serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D concentration and parathyroid hormone concentration. '
In this next 2023 review of studies it is shown that men and women with higher intakes B6 levels had greater bone mineral density than people with lower intake of vitamin B6.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10346000/
Here is a relevant quote from the review of studies :
' Several previous studies have found that women with higher intakes of vitamin B6 have higher bone mineral density (BMD) of the hips and spine than women with lower intakes. Another study found that men and women with higher blood levels of vitamin B6 had higher BMD in the hips and spine. '
Some of you probably wonder why I have not mentioned Vitamin D until now.
Although vitamin D is often thought of as essential for staving off osteoporosis, studies using vitamin D supplementation alone or measuring vitamin D levels in people with osteoporosis have not come to that conclusion, but some studies and articles mention vitamin D as beneficial for osteoporosis while offering no corroborating evidence to support that statement.
Many articles mention vitamin D as very beneficial for bone health, but when you review actual studies for vitamin D and osteoporosis, that claim is not so clear. I don't know the answer to that issue, but my thinking on vitamin D is that there are hundreds of studies extolling its health-promoting effects in humans, and for that reason alone, I believe Vitamin D is very beneficial for our overall health and should be taken as a supplement if getting sufficient sun exposure is not a practical option. Vitamin D is also thought to have synergy with many other supplements.
In one study, vitamin D was found to be synergistic with calcium citrate for osteoporosis, as discussed here, but the full study was behind a paywall :
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21405146/
Here is a relevant study quote :
' Calcium citrate formulations taken between meals may help to prevent abdominal distension and flatulence, as well as minimize the risk of renal calculus formation, thus helping to optimize patient compliance. Therefore, calcium citrate combined with vitamin D is the combination of choice for the prevention or treatment of osteoporosis. '
In this final study, it is shown that some of these supplements may have synergy together. In this study they used Melatonin, Strontium Citrate, Vitamin D and Vitamin K2 (MSDK) in a one year study of women with osteopenia.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5310667/
I can see where adding magnesium, boron and vitamin B6 to this combination may actually significantly improve it!
Here are some relevant study quotes :
' These findings provide both clinical and mechanistic support for the use of MSDK for the prevention or treatment of osteopenia, osteoporosis or other bone-related diseases. '
' MSDK increases serum bone formation markers in postmenopausal osteopenic women. '
' MSDK increases melatonin-sulfate levels in postmenopausal osteopenic women. '
' MSDK increases osteoblastogenesis and decrease osteoclastogenesis in co-cultures of hMSCs and hPBMCs. '
' In our study, osteopenic women taking MSDK for one year had a significant improvement in their left femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD and demonstrated a lower risk for a major osteoporotic fracture risk compared to women taking placebo. This is consistent with previous studies that demonstrate an increased BMD using melatonin alone. '
Your doctor's approval and monitoring are required for all of these to ensure they are compatible with all meds you are taking. Do not attempt this regimen without your doctor's approval. I just discussed this with a friend who is taking a similar regimen for osteoporosis because her doctor wanted her to take regular injections for osteoporosis, but she was unable to give herself the injections out of fear. Her doctor approved her supplement regimen and told her she would monitor her progress at regular intervals, and she didn't have to take the injections. I consider her doctor to be very progressive.
1. Magnesium - Total intake to 360 mg/day to start
2. Vitamin K2M7 - Total intake 200 mcg or if your doctor approves, 400 mcg total intake.
3. Strontium Citrate - 680 mg/day total with doctor approval
4. Boron - 20 mg/day to start up to 40 mg/day if your doctor approves
5. Vitamin B6 As P5P - 50 mg/day up to 100mg/day if your doctor approves
6. Vitamin D - Whatever it takes to get into the upper half of the reference range with your doctor's approval and monitoring.
So, the above supplements should be very beneficial for people with osteopenia or osteoporosis, and they should also have some synergy with each other. Generally, it can take 9 months to a year to start getting measurable improvement in bone mineral density (BMD) tests, so this is not an overnight fix, but a healthful one and this combination of supplements is likely to offer other health benefits at the same time.
Art
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