osteoporosis and alzheimer's

[anne from california]

Hi everyone,

Me again, with my family history of Alzheimer's. I've recently been diagnosed with osteoporosis. I have read that osteoporosis and Alzheimer's often go hand-in-hand, and it's true my mother has both diseases. (Although who knows if they are connected beyond existing in the same body.) Does anyone have any experience with dietary management of osteoporosis with the Bredesen protocol in mind? I want to keep my calcium and complete protein high. I also have high LDL and ApoB, so I try to minimize saturated fat. I feel like I've got lots of needs that counteract each other.

(So far I'm not interested in taking medication for osteoporosis. My doctor of course prescribed Fosamax immediately, but two of my numbers are still shy of osteoporosis and my lumbar--my worst score--is -2.7. If I were closer to -3, I might consider it, but at this point, the downsides seem too steep given my situation. Hormone therapy is off the table for me because of intolerance to progesterone.)

[PeterM]

Hi Anne. Perhaps take a look at AlgaeCal. Their video testimonials (made by literally thousands of women) tell an encouraging story about bone density gain as measured by ‘before and after’ DEXA scores. It hard not to be impressed. It’s a comprehensive program (includes Vitamins D and K, magnesium, strontium, boron and several other minerals) that guarantees bone gain in just six months or they refund to you anything you have purchased from them. It’s not cheap but might be worth the expense depending on your budget. (Their strontium appears overpriced but by purchasing it separately you can save considerably over a year.) Being a kidney stone former I recently discovered I was osteopenic, somewhat unusual for a man, and so I’ve just gotten on the AlgaeCal train. I read a long time first and came away believing there is something to the program. Like anything, your mileage may vary. Good luck.

[Julie G]

I second the AlgaeCal recommendation. My mother was able to improve her DEXA score by using their products.

[circular]

Hmmm, this is making me wonder … My bone density increased for the first at my last DEXA (three years after the prior one). I really wasn't sure why, because nothing that I think of as strongly bone related in diet or exercise had changed during that time. However, now I am thinking about how I bought a used/new AquaTru RO water filter, and since RO removes minerals from water, I've been squirting plentiful Concentrace minerals into my water daily. I wonder if that's actually made a difference in my bone density (?). I do take vitamin D and K as well, but I didn't increase my vitamin D and I decreased the vitamin K2 dose substantially.

[anne from california]

Hi Anne. Perhaps take a look at AlgaeCal. Their video testimonials (made by literally thousands of women) tell an encouraging story about bone density gain as measured by ‘before and after’ DEXA scores. It hard not to be impressed. It’s a comprehensive program (includes Vitamins D and K, magnesium, strontium, boron and several other minerals) that guarantees bone gain in just six months or they refund to you anything you have purchased from them. It’s not cheap but might be worth the expense depending on your budget. (Their strontium appears overpriced but by purchasing it separately you can save considerably over a year.) Being a kidney stone former I recently discovered I was osteopenic, somewhat unusual for a man, and so I’ve just gotten on the AlgaeCal train. I read a long time first and came away believing there is something to the program. Like anything, your mileage may vary. Good luck.

Thanks, Peter--I actually bought some of this, and dumped it into smoothies for awhile. (I have such a hard time swallowing pills bigger than, say, a Motrin tablet, that I find that I just won't do it after awhile.) It wasn't a terribly workable solution (like sucking little pebbles up through a straw). Then I began reading that it may improve DXA, but only because of the way it deflects the xray, and not because it's actually improving bone quality. (Did you come across anything about this in your reading about it?) Everything I read about osteoporosis seems to contradict something else I've read about it--the confusion surrounding this condition makes it impossible to discern what's certainly helpful vs what's certainly harmful, and most things touted as helpful invariably come up warned off as harmful. No certainty about any aspect of it seems to exist! Which is why I'm trying to stick primarily to diet/lifestyle options. Calcium from food (but what's a girl to do if she can't stomach 500 cups of collards a day or tinned fish with bones?), weight-bearing exercise (while keeping spine straight and not tweaking that funky 60-year-old neck), fall prevention. But I worry this approach is too benign.

[PeterM]

[quote=PeterM post_id=88578 time=1682248001 user_id=

Thanks, Peter--I actually bought some of this, and dumped it into smoothies for awhile. (I have such a hard time swallowing pills bigger than, say, a Motrin tablet, that I find that I just won't do it after awhile.) It wasn't a terribly workable solution (like sucking little pebbles up through a straw). Then I began reading that it may improve DXA, but only because of the way it deflects the xray, and not because it's actually improving bone quality. (Did you come across anything about this in your reading about it?) Everything I read about osteoporosis seems to contradict something else I've read about it--the confusion surrounding this condition makes it impossible to discern what's certainly helpful vs what's certainly harmful, and most things touted as helpful invariably come up warned off as harmful. No certainty about any aspect of it seems to exist! Which is why I'm trying to stick primarily to diet/lifestyle options. Calcium from food (but what's a girl to do if she can't stomach 500 cups of collards a day or tinned fish with bones?), weight-bearing exercise (while keeping spine straight and not tweaking that funky 60-year-old neck), fall prevention. But I worry this approach is too benign.

Hi again, Anne. I am most definitely not an authority on osteoporosis. I chose AlgaeCal solely because after hours of reading it seems like the most ‘natural’, long-term way forward to treat bone loss. Your primary concern seems to be that DEXA scores are skewed by strontium as a stand in for calcium. But it’s a relatively minor amount and strontium appears to contribute to bone building in other ways as well. The bottom line is, does AlgaeCal Plus build bone? If you really want to know for yourself get a DEXA scan before starting the program (minus the strontium, the confounder in your mind) and six months later repeat the DEXA on the same machine and compare scores. Make a call to the AlgaeCal assist line beforehand to make sure you are meeting their requirements for a full refund should you not experience bone building. My memory is you don’t have to be on the strontium to qualify. If that is so, you can then empirically test the product risk free.

About not liking pill taking, I’m hoping with a little extra imagination you can get those 3 pills down a day. If all else fails you can open the capsule and mix it into 2-4 oz of water. Down the hatch. At just 60 years of age you likely have a quarter century or more ahead of you! A -2.7 T-score is too high to ignore for long.

[Plumster]

Hi Anne. Perhaps take a look at AlgaeCal. Their video testimonials (made by literally thousands of women) tell an encouraging story about bone density gain as measured by ‘before and after’ DEXA scores. It hard not to be impressed. It’s a comprehensive program (includes Vitamins D and K, magnesium, strontium, boron and several other minerals) that guarantees bone gain in just six months or they refund to you anything you have purchased from them. It’s not cheap but might be worth the expense depending on your budget. (Their strontium appears overpriced but by purchasing it separately you can save considerably over a year.) Being a kidney stone former I recently discovered I was osteopenic, somewhat unusual for a man, and so I’ve just gotten on the AlgaeCal train. I read a long time first and came away believing there is something to the program. Like anything, your mileage may vary. Good luck.

Thanks, Peter--I actually bought some of this, and dumped it into smoothies for awhile. (I have such a hard time swallowing pills bigger than, say, a Motrin tablet, that I find that I just won't do it after awhile.) It wasn't a terribly workable solution (like sucking little pebbles up through a straw). Then I began reading that it may improve DXA, but only because of the way it deflects the xray, and not because it's actually improving bone quality. (Did you come across anything about this in your reading about it?) Everything I read about osteoporosis seems to contradict something else I've read about it--the confusion surrounding this condition makes it impossible to discern what's certainly helpful vs what's certainly harmful, and most things touted as helpful invariably come up warned off as harmful. No certainty about any aspect of it seems to exist! Which is why I'm trying to stick primarily to diet/lifestyle options. Calcium from food (but what's a girl to do if she can't stomach 500 cups of collards a day or tinned fish with bones?), weight-bearing exercise (while keeping spine straight and not tweaking that funky 60-year-old neck), fall prevention. But I worry this approach is too benign.

Hi Anne,
Look into studies with green tea. Also look up Kukicha tea as well--very high calcium in. Eden Foods sells it.

[anne from california]

Hi Anne,
Look into studies with green tea. Also look up Kukicha tea as well--very high calcium in. Eden Foods sells it.

Thanks for this reminder! I just read about this stuff the other day. Will get some!

[Quantifier]

Which is why I'm trying to stick primarily to diet/lifestyle options. Calcium from food (but what's a girl to do if she can't stomach 500 cups of collards a day or tinned fish with bones?), weight-bearing exercise (while keeping spine straight and not tweaking that funky 60-year-old neck), fall prevention. But I worry this approach is too benign.

Hi Anne! Kirkland Signature's (Costco's brand) almond milk has 600 mg Calcium per cup. A lot more than dairy milk or any other plant milk I have seen. I always drink it along with a vitamin C source (usually fresh fruit, but whatever you prefer) for better absorption.

[Plumster]

Here's a May 10 Webinar you can register for on osteoporosis and prevention, if interested:
https://nutritionfacts.org/webinar/prev ... 4d2443837a