Can we gain bone density with just supplements?

All the best programs for osteoporosis emphasize exercise, especially adding resistance and weights to a good walking routine…dancing is fun, even in your living space when alone, with music that inspires you to move.

@nycmusic Have you or anyone here tried the Onero weightlifting program designed for people w osteoporosis, based on research in Australia and offered by more and more licensed practitioners all over? I am in a small class led by one of 3 (so far) physios in Vancouver, Canada, but there are many more in the U.S.

I was on Tymlos for 15 months. Spine BMD improved from -3.5 to -1.9, so successful treatment. I did not want to risk further degradation of my bones at my age (65). I had always taken supplements and exercised but BMD had continued to decline, thus I decided to try Tymlos. I was fortunate to have very very mild side effects…injected right before bedtime, had mild heart palpitations or a headache for maybe 15 minutes. The injection itself is easy and not painful.

@kplex I am also on Tymlos at about 9 months so don’t know if it’s working and have had trouble getting up to the full dose.
I was curious what you are going to follow up the Tymlos with? I can’t do oral biophosphates, and am frightened of side effects from Reclast and Prolia.
May be all be well and improve! And may research look for better options. HRT I’m told is out for me.

@kplex I am also on Tymlos at about 9 months so don’t know if it’s working and have had trouble getting up to the full dose.
I was curious what you are going to follow up the Tymlos with? I can’t do oral biophosphates, and am frightened of side effects from Reclast and Prolia.
May be all be well and improve! And may research look for better options. HRT I’m told is out for me.

@lightlifts

May I ask the reason you've been given about hrt/bhrt?

@lightlifts I was always able to do the full dose. Because my gains in spine were so good, I stopped Tymlos after 15 months. I had previously had trouble with Fosamax (developed GERD), so my dr suggested Reclast or Prolia. Because of my age, my dr preferred Reclast because with good experience, I will do a Reclast infusion for 3 years, then have a drug holiday. It is all about keeping bones as strong as possible to buy time as we age. A friend of mine fractured a vertebrae, then found out she had osteoporosis and her spine degradation did not give doctors enough to work with for surgery, so she had to go on Forteo first. BTW, I believe with Prolia, very hard to stop treatment as that can increase fracture risk. I just had my Reclast infusion and about 24 hours after infusion I became very tired, like the flu, but no fever or aches. That lasted 2 days. Then I had mild pain in my hips and back. That was intermittent for 5 days. Then good, so far. I followed protocol to drink 64-80 ounces of water days before infusion and days after, and take Tylenol and antihistamine (Benadryl just before infusion). My infusion was 30 minutes of saline, 30 minutes of Reclast, 30 minutes of saline. I cannot consider HRT as I have a blood clotting disorder and it raises my risk of stroke. Good luck! A good Dr. is IMO an important advisor. I was also reluctant to risk taking drugs, but ending up with fractures that compromised my active life scared me more,

@sueinthelou Thanks for the tip on the Olive oil, but more precisely, it need to be high qualify Cold Press Extra Virgin Oil to get the most Polyphenols. It's actually "active biophenols" that is the guy that does all the good stuff in building bone, and that is the part of bone remodeling called Osteoblast. Bisphosphates work on stopping the bone loss, an important part of the remodelling process called Osteoclasts, and by leaving behind a chemical filler, basically that is not flexible bone, actually more brittle and prone to fracture into bits and pieces like a china dish breaks. It makes bones look denser, but it's not quality, and it has a whole host of other side effects you need to be aware of.

Much better to approach the building of bone that has slowed due to aging (reduced hormones being made), and if you do decide to stop taking whichever brand you're taking, it will remain in your bones for 10 years or more.

In looking up more on the olive oil and polyphenols, I found there is one food item that actually exceeds Olive oil levels of polyphenols, and that is the "Clove". Cloves are 15 to 150 times more potent than Olive oil. Using the recommendation for olive oil for bone health is 5-6 Tbsp or approx. 2 shot glasses full if you drink it. 7 tbsp is 100 g of oil, and that contains between 100 - 1000 mg of Polyphenols (not a set factor). In comparison, 100 g of Cloves has 15-150 times more based on the quality of the oil, with a concentration of 15,000 mg of Polyphenols. Just one ground-up clove added to your smoothie has about 500 mg. compared to 3.5-67 mg from the olive oil. Seems like a no-brainer to me, 1 Clove a day wins out. Polyphenols are not heat-tolerant and will destroy their mendicimal value if exposed to temperatures above 170 F, slightly less than a hot cup of coffee (boiling is 212 F). So better added to cold dishes like salad dressing, smoothies, or sprinkled on food after cooking.

You still need all the building materials like quality calcium that is easily aborbed into your bones, Magnesium it's partner at the rate of 1 part to 2 parts of calcium, Vitamin K3/M7, D3 and C too. Food is the best source but may not be enough so a good quality supplment like BoneUp is what i take and doing weight bearing exercises is how your bones get strong, resistance to keep muscles strong and maintain balance, last but not least maintaining a good weight not to thin or thick. Stay away from carbonated drinks, too; that fizz is bad for your bones. Basically, everything we have always been told: eat a healthy, balanced diet (Mediterranean diet is recommended), exercise, and stay active. Get quarterly blood tests done to evaluate your blood calcium and Vitamin D levels, too. Oh BTW, cloves don't have any fats to worry about.

I am 71 years old dx with with OP two years ago. I had my Dexa scan 2 days ago and my scores when right femoral neck was -2.6, now -2.1. Left femoral neck was -2.4 now -1.7. lumbar 1 and 2 were -3.1 now - 2.1. (I have scoliosis so they could do the rest of my back. I get calcium from food first, D, K2 MK7, Magnesium, C, omega 3, and E. I also make sure I age enough protein. Finally I go to the gym 3 days a week for weight, impact, balance, and posture training. I was not going to go down the drug path, unless mine got really bad. If you decide to take the route I am taking I learned a lot from Dr Lisa Moore at Brick house bone, on YouTube.