When you think about strengthening your bones, chances are you immediately think about calcium. Most people would. Then some would probably add in magnesium, vitamins D3 and K2. And I wouldn’t argue with that at all. They are all important for healthy bones. But here’s one that may surprise you. It did me.
Resveratrol.
Resveratrol is a phytonutrient found in red grapes, berries and other fruits. It has been found to fight and prevent osteoporosis according to a study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. That study found bone density improved in postmenopausal women who took resveratrol. To be fair, those who took 75 mg. of resveratrol twice a day along with vitamin D3 and calcium saw the greatest improvements.
They concluded that regular, daily supplementation with resveratrol has the potential to slow bone loss in the lumbar spine and femoral neck, common fracture sites in postmenopausal women without overt osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is a very widespread and serious problem for people over 50, since approximately 50% of women and 25% of men will suffer a fracture in the years to come. So besides supplementing with resveratrol, you may choose to include prunes, which were found to be an especially rich source of resveratrol.
There are bone-building drugs you may have seen commercials for like Fosamax, Prolia and Boniva. As with all drugs, they have some serious side effects. They also do not address the cause of osteoporosis. Instead they stop calcium loss in your bones by killing off osteoclasts, thus preventing or slowing bone density deterioriation. While that sounds like it should be a good thing, it prevents the bones from remodeling, which is is a lifelong process where mature bone tissue is removed from the skeleton (bone resorption) and new bone tissue is formed (ossification or new bone formation).
So would you use resveratrol and include some prunes in your diet rather than resorting to these dangerous drugs?
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Interesting post. My Mrs. has been taken 600mg Calcium with D3 for many years now. While we do eat seedless red grapes now and again, I think they just became a weekly staple to our grocery list. If you’ve never had them frozen, you should try that. A delightful little treat on warm evenings.
That’s great J.D. Actually frozen grapes was a snacking favorite of my children when they were younger.
That’s terrifying what those drugs do! I might be crazy but I believe that our bodies are crazy intelligent and know how to heal themselves. So I always look for natural solutions first!
If you are crazy, then I am too Holly. I totally agree. God created our bodies to heal.
Well, sounds like it’s good to be crazy! 😀