Build bone density naturally by adding four foods to your diet
If you have osteoporosis, your doctor has most likely prescribed you a drug such as Fosamax, its generic counterpart alendronate, or others from their vast – and still growing – drug menu. And chances are, you’re worried about the drug’s side effects and overwhelmed by all the confusing information that’s out there about osteoporosis.
I know exactly how you feel, because I was diagnosed with osteoporosis back in 2004. As I was leaving my doctor’s office, in shock from the bad news, I still vividly remember his voice as he handed me a Fosamax prescription and recommended that I “drink lots of milk.”
But I soon realized that the best thing I could do for my bones was to ignore his advice. You see, after my diagnosis, I started my own research to discover the truth about osteoporosis, to get to the bottom of its cause and to find a 100% natural treatment.
I discovered that osteoporosis is not a disease and that no miracle pill can help successfully reverse it for the long-term without dangerous side effects. As it turned out, I never took even one Fosamax pill and completely stopped drinking milk.
I also discovered that everyday foods actually help build bones and that their action on bone health can be scientifically demonstrated.
Believe me, your doctor probably doesn’t even know about these great foods and chances are you already have most of them in your kitchen; if not, you can get them at your local supermarket.
Let’s forget about toxic synthetic drugs, and let’s explore the foods that supercharge your bone health.
Eat One a Day to Keep Osteoporosis Away
French researchers have discovered that the flavonoid phloridzin found exclusively in apples, and especially in the peel, can protect you from osteoporosis by improving inflammation markers and increasing bone density.1
Apples are a good source of polyphenols, which have been shown to increase the production of osteoblasts, cells in charge of bone deposition. In fact, apples are one of the most potent fruit sources of polyphenols.2
A medium apple is also an excellent source of vitamin C, essential for the production of collagen, which maintains bones and cartilage, fiber, plus a wide variety of bone-building polyphenols (besides phloridzin), trace minerals and flavonoids.
Fiber moves toxins through the intestinal tract and helps prevent them from being circulated to the liver. Ensuring liver health is a good way to ensure bone health, as poor liver function has been connected to osteoporosis.3
What makes apples such a powerful bone-building fruit is the unique combination of antioxidants along with valuable density enhancing minerals. One example is boron, a little-known mineral found in apples. Boron supports the function of important bone-healthy nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and vitamin D.
Listen to Your Grandma: Eat This!
When it comes to prunes, chances are grandma was thinking of your digestive health and not your bones. But recently prunes have been in the news thanks to a Florida State University study that touts prunes as “the most effective fruit in both preventing and reversing bone loss.”4 This is further evidence of the bone-building effect of polyphenol plant pigments that have been shown to increase the production of osteoblasts.
Thanks to the concentration of polyphenols found in prunes, studies have shown them to be more effective at increasing bone density when tested against figs, dates, strawberries and raisins. The same polyphenols, however, are present in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables such as cantaloupe, cherries, pears, broccoli and cabbage.
Interestingly, plums — and by extension prunes — are one of the few fruits that contain small amounts of oxalates, a substance that can bind to calcium, thus making it less bioavailable. Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, currants, kiwifruit, concord (purple) grapes, figs and tangerines also contain oxalates in small quantities, but small enough to ignore as it relates to calcium absorption.
You’ll Shed Tears (of Joy) for Them
Swiss researchers conducted an experiment at the University of Basel and found that the onion peptide GPCS (γ-glutamyl-propenyl-cysteine sulfoxide) reduced bone breakdown in rats.5
Amazingly, when isolated bone cells from rats were exposed to parathyroid hormone in order to stimulate bone loss, GPCS-treated cells retained significantly more bone minerals — including calcium — in comparison to cells that were not exposed to GPCS.
Yet another study has shown that eating the humble onion on a daily basis does more than just increase bone density; the results have revealed that postmenopausal women were able to lower their hip fracture risk when eating an onion a day.6
Additionally, the high sulfur content of onions has a direct effect on the formation of connective tissue such as tendon and cartilage. Sulfur is present in all long chain polysaccharides called glycosaminoglycans (GAGS), with the exception of hyaluronic acid. GAGs make up cartilage, tendons and synovial fluid. Tendons are especially important to maintaining strong bones since they attach muscles to bones, so the muscles’ contractions can be transferred across the joints and pull on the bones.
Besides being a good source of the potent anti-inflammatory quercetin, onions contain other bone-smart nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin B6, folate, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, potassium, phosphorus and copper, all of which play an important role in bone health.
Your Brightly Colored Bone-Building Ally
Did you ever stop to think what makes tomatoes turn red? It’s the powerful bone-building antioxidant lycopene, also present in watermelon, pink grapefruit, apricot, papaya and other fruits.
What makes tomatoes so special is that they’re in season year-round, so it’s an easy and delicious way to benefit from lycopene’s powerful bone health properties.
Antioxidants protect cells from the damaging effects of free-radicals, and studies have shown that lycopene in particular protects and stimulates osteoblasts.7
Another study has shown that those who consumed tomato juice or who took lycopene supplements – both providing 30 mg of lycopene – showed markedly reduced urinary levels of a bone breakdown protein called NTx.8
Bear in mind that the bioavailability or absorption of lycopene is greatest when tomatoes are cooked with olive oil, since the lycopene in the raw tomato is converted into trans-lycopene, which is more readily absorbed.9
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This article first appeared in the September 2012 issue of Get Healthy & Fit®, the premier natural health and fitness monthly publication from the Healthy Back Institute®.
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The Natural Treatment that Reverses Osteoporosis in One Year or Less
As you can see, it’s really easy – and delicious – to improve your bone health without taking toxic drugs.
For more information on the breakthrough natural treatment that Vivian Goldschmidt and now thousands of others have used to reverse osteoporosis, ask for your FREE osteoporosis handbook.
About Vivian Goldschmidt
Vivian Goldschmidt, MA, a graduate of New York University with a Masters of Arts degree in Nutritional Sciences and a background in Biochemistry, has helped thousands of sufferers with osteoporosis and osteopenia to naturally increase their bone density without drugs, just like she did. Her online natural osteoporosis community reaches over 1.5 million people a year. Visit saveourbones.com to learn more.
References
- Puel C, Quintin A, Mathey J, Obled C, Davicco MJ, Lebecque P, Kati-Coulibaly S, Horcajada MN, Coxam V. Prevention of bone loss by phloridzin, an apple polyphenol, in ovariectomized rats under inflammation conditions. Calcif Tissue Int. 2005 Nov;77(5):311-8. Epub 2005 Nov 16. 2005. PMID:16307390
- Newnham RE. “Essentiality of boron for healthy bones and joints.” Environ Health Perspective, Supplement 7. Nov. 1994.
- Wariaghli G, Mounach A, Achemlal L, Benbaghdadi I, Aouragh A, Bezza A, El Maghraoui A. “Osteoporosis in chronic liver disease: a case-control study.” Rheumatology International, Vol. 30, No. 7. May 2010.
- Shirin Hooshmand, Bahram H. Arjmandi. “Viewpoint: Dried plum, an emerging functional food that may effectively improve bone health.” Ageing Research Reviews 8; 122-127. 2009.
- Wetli HA, Brenneisen R, Tschudi I, et al. “A-glutamyl peptide isolated from onion (Allium cepa L) by bioassay-guided fractionation inhibits resorption activity of osteoclasts”. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. March 2005.
- Matheson EM, Mainous AG 3rd and Carnemolla MA. The association between onion consumption and bone density in perimenopausal and postmenopausal non-Hispanic white women 50 years and older. Menopause. Jul-Aug;16(4):756-9. 2009.
- Kim L, Rao AV, “Lycopene II — Effect on osteoblasts: the carotenoid lycopene stimulates cell proliferation and alkaline phosphatase activity of SaOS-2 cells.” J Med Food. Summer; 6(2):79-86. 2003.
- Mackinnon ES. Supplementation with the antioxidant lycopene significantly decreases oxidative stress parameters and the bone resorption marker N-telopeptide of type I collagen in postmenopausal women. Osteoporosis International. 2010.
- Fielding JM et al., Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition. “Increases in plasma lycopene concentration after consumption of tomatoes cooked with olive oil.” 14(2):131-6. January 2005.
