Strontium citrate (Algaecal) and fractures

Posted by pami @pami, Apr 15, 2024

I am looking to see if there are any studies done that show a reduced chance of fracture from using Strontium citrate (Algaecal) as opposed to calcium. Everything I have read only mentions increase of density using it. Does anyone have doctor input or a study showing an decrease in bone fractures?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Osteoporosis & Bone Health Support Group.

@kathleen1314

I believe that you are referring to this product:
Garden of Life Organics Plant Calcium Supplement Made from Whole Foods with Magnesium, Vitamin D as D3, and Vitamin K as MK7, Gluten-Free
It contains 6mg of strontium which is provided by the algae. This is a vitamin dose level.

Most of the strontium discussion which we are having centers around a therapeutic dose of strontium, research based level to impact osteoporosis; this is usually 680mg daily sometimes transitioning to a maintenance dose of 340mg.

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@kathleen1314 Can you please tell me which product contains therapeutic doses of strontium (you mention 680 mg daily, transitioning to maintenance of 340 mg)? I would love to hear if there is one you can recommend. Pardon if this already has been discussed; I'm coming late to this thread.

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@doreenc

Congratulations on moving to osteopenia from osteoporosis! I am considering taking strontium citrate. Do you mind if I ask what your bone density score was before and after? And did you experience any side effects from it? Also what was the brand you took?

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I don’t remember the values right now. The interesting thing was I was taking prednisone for many years and I’m still taking it despite being on prednisone. I was still able to improve my bone density. I didn’t notice any side effects of anything that I took. I actually drew from two studies. The other study was in Canada. I did not take fish oil because it lowers my blood sugar and I have low blood sugar. I stopped taking strontium when I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation because I was put on heart meds and I was afraid to mix them however, strontium is everywhere in the soil to greater or lesser degrees, so it is a natural substance. It has been postulated that, because we use artificial fertilizers commercially in this country, our diet doesn’t have natural strontium in it, and perhaps that has contributed to so much osteoporosis. Pure Encapsulations was actually the brand used for this study. I only used 340ng and it was enough.

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@bayhorse

@kathleen1314 Can you please tell me which product contains therapeutic doses of strontium (you mention 680 mg daily, transitioning to maintenance of 340 mg)? I would love to hear if there is one you can recommend. Pardon if this already has been discussed; I'm coming late to this thread.

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I only used 340 mg and it was enough and followed the protocols loosely regarding other micronutrients. I never took melatonin...

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@karenjaninaz

I don’t remember the values right now. The interesting thing was I was taking prednisone for many years and I’m still taking it despite being on prednisone. I was still able to improve my bone density. I didn’t notice any side effects of anything that I took. I actually drew from two studies. The other study was in Canada. I did not take fish oil because it lowers my blood sugar and I have low blood sugar. I stopped taking strontium when I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation because I was put on heart meds and I was afraid to mix them however, strontium is everywhere in the soil to greater or lesser degrees, so it is a natural substance. It has been postulated that, because we use artificial fertilizers commercially in this country, our diet doesn’t have natural strontium in it, and perhaps that has contributed to so much osteoporosis. Pure Encapsulations was actually the brand used for this study. I only used 340ng and it was enough.

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Thank you so much for your reply . I was wondering about other brands besides AlgaeCal. I was so pleased that you mentioned Pure Encapsulations since it's a brand I really believe in its purity. I also take their magnesium.

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@oopsiedaisy

Thanks for the additional info. I fractured 13 months ago and have not fractured since so I hope I am on the right path now. I stopped Fosamax 11 months ago, was off all meds for 3 months, then did 4 months of Tymlos followed by two months off and now on teriparatide.

Knowing what I know now, I would never have taken Fosamax for as long as I did.

That is very interesting info regarding the "sacrificial bonds". Looking forward to diving into the info after work today.

I was on the Inspire forum shortly after my fracture was diagnosed but dropped it when I was told (in very bold and insistent terms) that Tymlos would give me cancer.

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Help...I fractured two vertebrae..have serious osteoporosis..what are the best meds

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@bayhorse

@kathleen1314 , I am late coming to this discussion about strontium. I was told there were cardiovascular risks associated with its use, but now I am wondering whether the risks were solely associated with strontium ranelate or also with strontium citrate. Can you offer any clarification?

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Yes, solely associated with strontium ranelate.
More importantly, it was based on a population study where older, sicker women were using the strontium ranelate. Several studies tried to reproduce these results, but none were able to find the same conclusions as that one study. Denmark performed a population study for several years and never found a link from strontium ranelate to the cardio risks. see link at bottom of this reply
Saying that, I, personally, would still never take strontium ranelate; the asparatame is a concern; plus why take it when you can take strontium citrate which has never been associated with cardio side effects, and we have generations of people who have had high content in their ground water with no corresponding finding of disease.
There was one place in Iran or Iraq where the strontium ground water was so high that it resulted in very compact bones with loss of height. The "cure" was that calcium was provided to the inhabitants to off-set the large strontium intake.
Which is why we always say make sure that you are getting lots of calcium.
Here is a link to the Denmark study and conclusion:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24651624/

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@bayhorse

@kathleen1314 Can you please tell me which product contains therapeutic doses of strontium (you mention 680 mg daily, transitioning to maintenance of 340 mg)? I would love to hear if there is one you can recommend. Pardon if this already has been discussed; I'm coming late to this thread.

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All strontium is the same strontium so it just depends on how you wish to take it or whether monitoring, additives or price point is the most important to you.
I have used AOR, which has the least amount of additives and is monitored by the Canadian Government by a group similar to the FDA but they monitor supplements.
I am using Vitacost brand now; it has a good price point.
I do not have a problem with any of the additives in the Vitacost brand.
But it just depends on what you prefer.

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