Strategic Nutrition for Bone and Joint Health - Fortitech

PAGE 2CalciumCalcium is an important constituent of bone, but is also needed in the body for proper functioningof the heart, muscles, nerves, and in blood clotting. A low intake of calcium, whichis common with most people, contributes to bone loss and the development of low bonemass and osteoporosis – a skeletal condition affecting 44 million people in the US alone –that results in an increased risk of bone fractures, especially of the hip, spine and wrist.Bone loss also contributes to loss of teeth due to erosion of the underlying boney anchor ofthe tooth’s root. Tooth loss affects about one-third of adults age 65 and older. Currentrecommended intakes of calcium are between 1,000-1,300 mg/day depending on age,which is about twice the level of usual calcium intakes.Explore related newsand research on boneand joint health onour TweetDeck atwww.twitter.com/fortitechVitamin DVitamin D is needed by the body to facilitate the intestinal absorptionof calcium, as well as for other important body functions.Unfortunately, vitamin D deficiency is common throughout theworld, and contributes to poor bone health, especially when dietarycalcium intakes are low. It is estimated that one in five children,aged one to 11 years old don’t get enough vitamin D.Prevalence rates for vitamin D insufficiency in black and Hispanicchildren are, alarmingly, much higher. The current recommendeddietary vitamin D intake is 5µg to 15µg (200-600 IU) per day.However, considerable disagreement over the adequacy of thisrecommendation has ensued in light of recent research findings,and some prominent vitamin D researchers are suggesting that 50µg (2,000 IU) per daymay be a more reasonable level of vitamin D intake to promote optimal bone health. Productsdesigned to deliver calcium should also provide vitamin D because these two nutrientswork together in order to provide the best opportunity for calcium to be absorbed into thebody.Vitamin KVitamin K is well known for its important role in blood clotting. However, research in recentyears has suggested that vitamin K may play an important role in maintaining bone healthand reducing the risk of osteoporotic bone fracture in the elderly. Natural vitamin K in thefood supply is found in two forms, vitamin K 1 (phylloquinone) in plant foods and vitamin K 2(menaquinone) in animal foods or produced by bacteria, with vitamin K 1 being slightly moreactive biologically than vitamin K 2 . The recommended intakes of vitamin K is 120µg/day inmen, and slightly lower in women, with intakes as high as 400-500µg/day being suggestedto influence bone metabolism. However, some very recent clinical trials of vitamin K supplementationin elderly postmenopausal women have found no effect of additional vitaminK on rates of bone loss during a three-year trial. These findings are difficult to interpret,however, because subjects were generally healthy and not selected on the basis of preexistinglow vitamin K status. Given the strong epidemiologic evidence that high vitamin Kintake is associated with reduced risk of osteoporotic fracture, it would be prudent to includevitamin K as an important nutrient in any bone-protecting fortified product.Vitamin CHigher intakes of fruits and vegetables have been associated with higher bone mineral densityin cross-sectional population studies. Investigators in the United Kingdom found thathigher vitamin C intake in adolescent boys and girls, young women, and older men andwomen are associated with bone mineral content. Research in the US found in the PostmenopausalEstrogen/Progestin Intervention Trial (PEPI Study) that higher vitamin C intakeSTRATEGIC NUTRITION FOR BONE & JOINT HEALTHTECHNICAL PAPER—JAN, 2010PAGE 5