Vitamin C makes strong bones & helps prevent osteoporosis!

You've been flooded with info about vitamin C and its ability to fight off germs and colds. It's even better at building collagen. What does collagen have to do with building bones? Everything!

Vitamin C builds the foundation for your bones
When your body makes bones, it does it by laying down the bone mineral content onto a foundation or matrix. That matrix is collagen. Your body also makes the collagen, and it needs vitamin C to do that. If you have low levels of vitamin C, your bones will suffer. It could mean broken bones won't heal quickly or that osteoporosis is in your future.

It's never too early to start preventing osteoporosis
A British study at the University of Cambridge found that women in their 70s and 80s with low levels of vitamin C lost bone mineral density (BMD) significantly faster than women with lower levels. Loss of bone mineral usually shows up when you're older. Starting vitamin C supplementation as early as possible helps diminish bone loss later in life.

The School of Allied Health at the University of Connecticut supports the findings of the Brits. In a study involving 136 postmenopausal subjects, they found that vitamin C, among other "critical nutrients," had "a significant relationship with BMD." Dutch doctors went a step further and said that increasing vitamin C "may lead to considerable reduction or even prevention of bones loss, especially in late menopausal women and the elderly."

Don't become a victim to a broken hip
You could probably cope with a broken leg or arm, but a broken hip is totally incapacitating. Besides being painful, it keeps you in bed for weeks or even months, limiting your independence later in life. The Center for Health Studies at the Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound in Seattle found that long-term use of vitamin C supplements (about 10 years) resulted in higher bone mineral density in the hip bone among women who were postmenopausal.

Plan for the future and start taking vitamin C today to protect your bones years from now. Start with a low dose of 250-400mg and build up. If you have diarrhea after starting your new regimen, it may mean your dosage is too high. Back off and take a lower dose, building up little by little.

Other ways to increase bone mineral content
Vitamin C isn't the only important contribution to bone health. You also need weight-bearing exercises (e.g., lifting weights), a calcium supplement and some sunshine (a 20-minute stay in the sun a few times a week is ample for most of us).

Stay strong!

Additional sources:
Clin Calcium. 2005 Sep;15(9):1529-34
Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 1999 May;69(3):194-7
Osteoporos Int. 2003 Jun;14(5):418-28. Epub 2003 Apr 16
Eur J Clin Nutr. 2003 Jul;57(7):8
Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2001 May;41(4):225-49
J Epidemiol Community Health. 1997 Oct;51(5):479-85

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The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
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