Bone density supplements provide important nutrients proven to help ward off debilitating conditions like arthritis and osteoporosis.
While many older people could potentially benefit from taking a bone density supplement the need is particularly acute for women over 30, as they will become more susceptible to osteoporosis as they age.
But the various nutrients in bone density supplements provide a wealth of other benefits too and below we will take a close look at those benefits.
17 Benefits Of Bone Density Supplements
Bone density supplements contain vitamins and minerals that provide a host of benefits that can potentially improve your overall quality of life. Here are 17 of those benefits.
1: Bone density supplements help prevent osteoporosis.
Bone density tends to remain fairly stable until people enter their 40s. At that time, physiological changes occur, particularly in women, that begin the process of bone degradation. Primary among these is the onset of osteoporosis (1). Left untreated, osteoporosis can lead to devastating bone fractures later in life. Bone density supplements can help stave off osteoporosis.
2: Bone density supplements can reduce arthritis symptoms.
Arthritis also tends to first appear when people reach their 40s. Both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are characterized by inflammation of the joints, pain, and stiffness. People with compromised bones are more likely to develop arthritis and suffer more severe symptoms. Bone density supplements can help reduce the severity of those symptoms.
3: Bone density supplements contain magnesium.
Magnesium is one of the most important minerals when it comes to the day to day operation of the human body (2). It is found in every one of your cells and plays a crucial role in energy production, gene maintenance, and the formation of proteins. It also helps to ensure the integrity of your bones. So when you take a bone density supplement, you help every aspect of your body function more smoothly.
4: Bone density supplements may reduce high blood pressure.
Calcium is one of the most important ingredients in bone density supplements. As it turns out, both calcium and magnesium also play a role in regulating blood pressure (3). Calcium helps blood vessels retain their elasticity so that they expand when you’re active, and more blood is flowing, and they contract when you are inactive, and blood flow is reduced. At the same time, magnesium plays a regulatory role.
5: Bone density supplements can enhance your workouts.
The stronger bones that result from the bone density supplement will be better able to withstand the stress and strain of a workout. Also, magnesium plays a crucial role in energy production (4). So you will be able to power through your workout thanks to the magnesium, and you’ll be able to lift more and perform with greater confidence due to the calcium.
6: Bone density supplements are good for your heart.
As we saw above, calcium and magnesium play an important role in regulating blood pressure. That, in turn, is good for your heart. Vitamin K, another common ingredient in most bone density supplements, also plays a role in keeping blood pressure low by preventing the buildup of minerals in the arteries.
7: Bone density supplements may reduce the risk of certain cancers.
In a study whose results took many by surprise, it was found that calcium supplementation may play a role in preventing colorectal cancer (5). Not only that, but the protective benefits provided by calcium apparently extend up to five years after the point a person stops taking the calcium. That benefit even extends to high-risk individuals.
8: Bone density supplements are also good for your teeth.
Calcium is vital to the production and maintenance of healthy teeth (6). Numerous research studies have concluded that many people do not get enough calcium from their ordinary diet. Fortunately, bone density supplements are almost all loaded with calcium. So they are not only good for your skeletal system, but they will also help ensure healthy teeth as you age.
9: Bone density supplements may reduce inflammation.
Inflammation is part of the body’s normal immune system response. But in some cases, inflammation goes haywire and is responsible for myriad health problems, including arthritis. Magnesium has been shown to exert a regulatory effect on inflammation (7). As such, it may be useful in alleviating symptoms from a variety of ailments, including arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and more.
10: Bone density supplements may reduce the risk of kidney stones.
This may seem counterintuitive, but research indicates that supplemental calcium may actually have a role to play in reducing incidents of kidney stones (8). We say ‘counterintuitive’ because, until recently, it was believed that calcium supplements actually contributed to the development of kidney stones.
11: Bone density supplements may help fight depression.
Just as magnesium is important to bone density and virtually all metabolic processes, it is also vitally important to proper brain function (9). But the magnesium in your bone density supplement does more than just grease the wheels of your mind. It also plays an active role in regulating mood and may be useful as part of a treatment regime for depression (10).
12: Bone density supplements may help fight migraines.
The magnesium in bone density supplements is not only good for building strong bones, keeping your blood pressure low and fighting depression, it may also help reduce the severity of migraines (11). Exactly how it does this is not entirely understood yet, but it is believed to have something to do with magnesium facilitating cortical blood flow.
13: Bone density supplements may promote weight loss.
The calcium in your bone density supplement has a complex relationship with body fat. But one thing that is known for sure is that it plays a role in breaking down fat cells. Higher calcium levels within cells reduces the number of fat cells created by the body. Calcium also binds to fat in the digestive tract and prevents it from being absorbed and taking up residence around your waist.
14: Bone density supplements may help prevent type 2 diabetes.
Almost half the people suffering from type 2 diabetes have low levels of magnesium in their blood. Researchers believe such low levels of magnesium interfere with the effectiveness of insulin. That, in turn, leads to high blood glucose levels and increases susceptibility to type 2 (adult onset) diabetes (12). The magnesium in bone density supplements can help prevent this.
15: Bone density supplements can alleviate symptoms of PMS.
Calcium, as it turns out, has a lot of surprising benefits. Another one of which is the apparent ability to help alleviate some of the worst symptoms of PMS (x). Researchers noted that women who took calcium supplements experienced less moodiness during the days preceding their period than did women who did not take calcium (13).
16: Bone density supplements are good for your brain.
We have already seen that the magnesium in bone density supplements may help alleviate depression and reduce migraine frequency and intensity. But magnesium is not the only ingredient in bone density supplements that is good for your brain. Vitamin K has been found to have a significant effect on the memory of older individuals (14).
17: Bone density supplements are affordable.
The cost of dealing with hip fractures in older individuals is staggering (15), typically more than $50,000. And that is not to mention the cost of rehabilitation. In addition, allowing your bones to become weak and brittle will lead to a greatly reduced quality of life. For just pennies per day, bone density supplements can help prevent those fractures and enhance overall quality of life.
Conclusion
Bone density supplements are best known for their ability to help men and women fend off arthritis and osteoporosis. But they also have the potential to produce other benefits including lowering blood pressure, enabling more vigorous workouts, reducing inflammation, mitigating the worst effects of migraines and bolstering memory. If those benefits sound good to you consider adding a bone density supplement to your diet.