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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?

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mcchesney | @kathleen1314 | 3 days ago
In reply to @daisy17 "@tonilynn I found this on-line: "Strontium can skew DEXA scans because it has a higher density..." + (show)
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@tonilynn I found this on-line: "Strontium can skew DEXA scans because it has a higher density than calcium, which can lead to an overestimation of bone mineral density. This means that while strontium may improve bone density, it can create misleading results in DEXA measurements for up to ten years after stopping supplementation."

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@daisy17
Well, Daisy, we just had a long discussion about how that is old and now moot information. The quick synopsis is that yes, dexa over reads strontium ( the strontium dexa skew) because strontium is denser than calcium; the over read is about 10% and really doesn't matter because in terms of bone density "up is up" no matter the amount.
More importantly, REMS and TBS are not affected by strontium denser weight and both of those tests and reports show better bone density, better bone quality for strontium users. Plus research shows strontium prevents fractures around 49% other research shows strontium users have few if any side effects.
So as we strontium users say "God bless the dexa strontium skew".

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mcchesney | @kathleen1314 | 3 days ago
In reply to @tonilynn "@loplady Would the problem of Strontium causing inaccurate DEXA results be eliminated if patient discontinued taking..." + (show)
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@loplady Would the problem of Strontium causing inaccurate DEXA results be eliminated if patient discontinued taking Strontium 24 hours, possibly longer, before their DEXA scan---like taking calcium or iron needs to be discontinued 24 hours before a DEXA?

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@tonilynn
No, strontium is incorporated into the bone so the dexa is not set for the denser strontium and reads it higher.
But it really doesn't matter, especially after the first dexa on strontium, because "up is up" no matter the amount, no fractures are no fractures and no side effects are no side effects.
Doctors and dexa techs just don't like knowing that the dexa is not reading strontium bones exactly.

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blueberre | @blueberre | 2 days ago
In reply to @tonilynn "@daisy17 Then might REMS be a viable bone density scanning alternative? "REMS is not affected by..." + (show)
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@daisy17 Then might REMS be a viable bone density scanning alternative?
"REMS is not affected by strontium. The problem with strontium and dexa is the radiation and how it reacts to the denser strontium. REMS Echolight does not use radiation."

"BMD measured by ultrasound is not affected by the strontium content of bone. An in vitro study concluded that aBMD measured by DXA was prone to overestimation in the presence of strontium, but acoustic parameters measured by quantitative ultrasound (QUS) are independent of strontium concentration."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29080282/
https://strontiumforbones.blogspot.com/2023/11/echolight-scans-are-not-affected-by.html

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@tonilynn REMS testing is not readily available, The nearest place I can get it is about a 3 hour drive.

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blueberre | @blueberre | 2 hours ago

I had a bad reaction to Strontium Citrate (Algae Cal) I started to develop a rash after just a few doses. I immediately stopped taking when I came across a case of a woman that became covered in hives after 6 weeks of strontium citrate. I was lucky to find the woman's case and stop the strontium immediately. Rashes have subsided for the most part. Happy I did not continue and end up like the poor woman. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7985217/

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