 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Health Benefits of Bone-Genesis
It's no secret that bone loss is taking a toll on American women and men. Approximately 28 million people are currently affected by it.
Why in a country that has calcium-fortified foods and where so many people take supplemental calcium is bone steadily being whittled away? Are the 28 million just people who didn't know any better — didn't get enough calcium — and now are paying the price?
For some, yes, this plus other factors such as having small bones, coming from certain ethnic groups (non-Hispanic white & Asian), and being postmenopausal (women) may be part of the reason they have lost bone. But this isn't the whole story.
Bone creation and breakdown forms a cycle that goes on throughout life. When it works well, bone is built and stays strong. When more bone demolition than bone building occurs, a person develops osteoporosis. When this happens in the spine, a very obvious curvature develops called "dowager's hump".
The players in building and maintaining bone and retarding breakdown are many: Calcium, magnesium, vitamin D3, vitamin K2, zinc, manganese, boron, and much more. Most people are under the impression that taking more calcium is going to "do the trick" when it comes to preventing bone loss. Not so. For example, if calcium is not taken in balance with magnesium, magnesium can be lost and an out-of-kilter situation can take hold that actually sets the stage for calcium deposition in soft tissues such as arteries.
This situation is complicated in modern day life by dietary patterns that favor bone loss. Grains and cereals contain compounds called phytates that bind to bone-building minerals and promote their excretion from the body. In addition:
"...post-agricultural peoples also adopted other dietary practices that promoted calcium loss or otherwise compromised bone building and preservation. Among these was a shift from a high potassium-low sodium dietary pattern to its reverse. Sodium increases calcium excretion in the urine and is being increasingly acknowledged among medical and nutrition experts as a major player in promoting bone loss"
From "Health Benefits of Vitamin K2" by Larry M. Howard & Anthony G. Payne, Ph.D. (2006, page 50)
Before the introduction of grains and cereals, ancient peoples consumed lots of protein and healthy fats-rich game and fish, along with a wealth of vegetables and fruits. Their fossil remains show little if any bone loss or even dental decay compared to what is seen in people after the "agricultural revolution" some 8-10,000 years ago.
Many of the meats and fish these pre-agricultural peoples consumed contained fairly high levels of vitamins and other compounds that promote the genesis of bone and keep it strong. For example, 3 ounces of beef contains over 100 micrograms of vitamin K2. Fish such as salmon and sardines provide lots of calcium and magnesium. Various fruits and nuts supply vitamin K2 and various minerals.
One of the most exciting developments with respect to bone building and maintenance involves a form of vitamin K2 called menaquinone-7. A wealth of published research has shown that K2 helps shuttle calcium from soft tissues such as arteries to bone, while also participating in the production of two proteins . osteocalcin and matrix Gla protein (MGP) . both of which are critical to the creation of dense bone and its maintenance. MGP has also been shown to inhibit calcification of arteries!
BONEGENESIS was created to provide consumers with MK-7 plus several other natural factors that work to prevent bone loss. Vitamin D3 is included because this prohormone helps insure that bone supportive calcium, phosphorus and vitamin A are absorbed in the gut. It also contains alpha ketoglutaric acid and Horsetail extract, both of which provide compounds that support and encourage healthy bone formation and function.