Unlocking the Secrets of Strong Bones:  Beyond Bone Density

Unlocking the Secrets of Strong Bones: Beyond Bone Density

In the realm of bone health assessment, Bone Mineral Density (BMD) has long been regarded as the gold standard. While an increase in bone density often indicates improved bone health, it doesn't necessarily guarantee enhanced bone quality and strength. Let’s explore this concept and shed light on the complexities of bone health assessment beyond traditional measures like BMD.
What Is Bone Density, Bone Quality & Bone Strength?
What Is Bone Density, Bone Quality & Bone Strength?
Bone density is the concentration of minerals, within the bone. Higher mineral content indicates denser bones, which are typically stronger and more resistant to fractures.

Bone quality refers to various characteristics of bone composition and structure that influence bone strength regardless of bone mineral density. These factors encompass bone turnover, microarchitecture, mineralization, microdamage, and the composition of both bone matrix and mineral.

Bone strength refers to the ability of bone to withstand fracture, such as the maximum load it can bear before breaking, under specific conditions like the impact experienced during a fall.
Chart 1: illustrates the impact of SAC® on enhancing bone quality. Rats with osteoporosis (OVX+SAC) demonstrated stronger bone quality, requiring a higher breaking force to fracture the bones.
Bone Density Doesn’t Guarantee Good Bone Quality & Strength
Bone density reflects only 60-70% of bone quality and cannot be the sole predictor of fracture risk. Factors like bone microarchitecture, mineralization, collagen composition, and turnover rate also impact bone strength. This means that even if individuals share similar bone density they will have different fracture risks due to the variations in different bone microarchitecture (bone quality).
 
Marah Natural conducted a study (chart 1) with rats with osteoporosis (OVX+SAC), showing that those treated with SAC® required a higher breaking force (7.12kg) compared to Sham (normal rats) and OVX (rats with osteoporosis), which needed only 7.11kg and 7.00kg force, respectively, to break the bones. Despite similar BMD values between the Sham and OVX+SAC groups, the breaking force needed was higher in the OVX+SAC group, indicating better bone quality and strength.

Additionally, SAC® supplementation led to higher calcium levels, further supporting bone health. This emphasizes the importance of comprehensive bone quality assessment and enhancement beyond BMD to reduce fracture risk and improve bone strength.
Traditional Methods For Treating Bone Health Have Many Holes
Most traditional methods for improving osteoporosis deactivate osteoclasts, halting the breakdown of dead bone cells. While bone density may increase slightly on DEXA scans, it doesn't always mean improved bone quality.
 
When treatments stop, bone density often declines rapidly within one to two months, indicating potential structural issues. Underlying problems like abnormal bone microarchitecture or collagen quality may persist. While supplements with calcium and vitamin D support bone density, they may not fully address factors like collagen cross-linking and turnover rates crucial for bone quality.
SAC®  FORMULATION TECHNOLOGY
SAC® Nature’s Best Solution
Marah Natural’s SAC® naturally enhances bone density by supporting the process of bone remodeling. This involves osteoclasts breaking down old bone tissue while osteoblasts simultaneously build new bone tissue.
 
SAC® delivers easily absorbable ionic calcium, which helps maintain a balanced removal of old or damaged bone, preventing excessive resorption. By influencing hormones that regulate osteoclast and osteoblast activities, SAC® achieves an optimal bone remodeling process.
 
This results in the formation of healthier and stronger bone tissue, ultimately improving overall bone quality.
SAC®  FORMULATION TECHNOLOGY
SAC® Nature’s
Best Solution
Marah Natural’s SAC® naturally enhances bone density by supporting the process of bone remodeling, which involves the continuous removal of old bone tissue by osteoclasts and the formation of new bone tissue by osteoblasts.
 
By providing readily absorbable calcium, SAC® helps facilitate this remodeling process, leading to the formation of healthier and stronger bone tissue that can lead to better bone quality.
BONE HEALTH
Advancements In Technologies
Can Help In The Future

Recent advancements in imaging technologies have enabled the evaluation of bone microarchitecture and composition, providing insights into bone quality beyond BMD.

Techniques such as High-Resolution Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (HR-pQCT) and Quantitative Ultrasonography (QUS) offer valuable information about bone structure, density distribution, and mechanical properties.

By integrating these novel modalities into clinical practice, we can obtain a more comprehensive understanding of bone health and improve risk stratification for fractures.

BONE HEALTH
Advancements In Technologies
Can Help In The Future
 

New imaging technologies now assess bone microarchitecture and composition, giving insights beyond BMD for bone quality.

High-Resolution Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (HR-pQCT) and Quantitative Ultrasonography (QUS) reveal bone structure, density, and mechanical properties. Using these methods in clinics enhances our understanding of bone health and helps predict fracture risks better.

SAC®  FORMULATION TECHNOLOGY
Marah Natural Product
Marah Natural Product

MARAH-CEL

BONE HEALTH BUNDLE

WELLNESS MAINTENANCE BUNDLE

THE SECRETS OF STRONG BONES
Conclusion

In summary, while an increase in bone density often suggests improved bone strength, it's essential to consider other aspects of bone quality for a comprehensive assessment of bone health.

By addressing both density and quality through holistic interventions, individuals can enhance their overall bone health and reduce the risk of fractures.

THE SECRETS OF STRONG BONES
Conclusion
In summary, while an increase in bone density often suggests improved bone strength, it's essential to consider other aspects of bone quality for a comprehensive assessment of bone health.
By addressing both density and quality through holistic interventions, individuals can enhance their overall bone health and reduce the risk of fractures.

REFERENCES

  1. Boskey AL, Coleman R. Aging and Bone. Journal of Dental Research. 2010;89(12):1333-1348. doi:10.1177/0022034510377791

  2. Seeman, Ego. "Bone quality: the material and structural basis of bone strength." Journal of bone and mineral metabolism 26, no. 1 (2008): 1-8.

  3. Siris, Ethel S., Ronald Emkey, Steve P. Harden, David M. Minshall, Conrad C. Miller, Reiner Barringer, and Steven K. Abbott. "Predictive value of low BMD for 1-year fracture outcomes is similar for postmenopausal women ages 50–64 and 65 and older: results from the National Osteoporosis Risk Assessment (NORA)." Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 22, no. 9 (2007): 1445-1450.

  4. Burghardt, Andrew J., Punam K. Saha, Thomas M. Link, and Sharmila Majumdar. "High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomographic imaging of cortical and trabecular bone microarchitecture in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus." Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 93, no. 6 (2008): 2102-2108.

  5. Bauer, Douglas C., Jane A. Cauley, Steven R. Cummings, Kristine E. Ensrud, Dennis M. Black, Marc C. Hochberg, and Michael C. Nevitt. "Monitoring osteoporosis therapy with bone densitometry: misleading changes and regression to the mean." Journal of the American Medical Association 291, no. 1 (2004): 131-138.

  6. Seeman, Ego, and Richard S. Weinstein. "The new bone biology: pathologic, molecular, and clinical correlates." Journal of Clinical Investigation 104, no. 12 (1999): 1689-1696.

 

Back to blog