Strontium

Posted by meomurian @meomurian, Feb 20, 2023

Is anyone taking strontium for bone health? My husband is reading studies on its benefits. I am currently getting Prolia injections 2x/year.

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@sueinmn

Thanks to @johnbishop, I found the information you referred to.
Always seeking more natural interventions for health and wellness, I read both with a great deal of curiosity. I am learning a lot! Enough to be encouraged that there may be answers on the horizon.

Here is my analysis of the MOTS (Melatonin-micronutrients Osteopenia Treatment) Study:
This was a well-designed and executed small study of a population having osteopenia, not osteoporosis, and no high cholesterol, high blood pressure, inflammatory/autoimmune disease. So, a typical first-round population.
The regimen tested was a combination of melatonin (5mg), strontium citrate, Vitamin D3 & Vitamin K2 (MSDK) Dosages of the other 3 not disclosed in the report
It yielded impressive results in the 11 people who completed the trial, compared to the 11 on placebo, and they stated, "... In our study, osteopenic women taking MSDK for one year had a significant improvement in their left femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD and demonstrated a lower risk for a major osteoporotic fracture risk compared to women taking placebo. This is consistent with previous studies that demonstrate an increased BMD using melatonin alone [12], strontium alone [13, 14] or combination vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 [17, 18] or combination strontium citrate, vitamins K2 and D3 [20]. MSDK was found to be less effective in improving hip BMD, perhaps due to the kinetics of bone remodeling in long vs. flat bones [52]"

My takeaway:
There should be Phase 2 & 3 clinical studies to evaluate effectiveness in typical populations and those who already have osteoporosis. Also a follow-up after 5 years of supplementation to demonstrate long-term efficacy.
We need to be careful about "grabbing onto" hope based on small studies, and taking supplements in different combinations and concentrations than are tested. We also need to know if they are effective when other conditions/medications enter the mix. And whether they are safe and effective long-term.

I don't have time right now, but will look at the COMB study on a different day.
Sue

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In the MOTS study I found this: "Treatment capsules, referred to as “MSDK” were formulated using 5 mg melatonin, 450 mg strontium (citrate), 2000 IU vitamin D3 and 60μg vitamin K2, divided into two capsules. Identical placebo capsules matching in size, shape and color contained plant fiber. Study capsules were formulated and manufactured according to the principal investigators' specifications and supplied by Pure Encapsulations, Inc. (Sudbury, MA, USA)."
Personally I am unconvinced that increases in BMD via strontium equate to stronger healthier bones. It supposedly makes DXA scans report higher density than you actually have. Plus, just because strontium and citrate are natural doesn't mean that high doses are safe. Many trace minerals are damaging in high doses. 450 mg of strontium is a roughly 100 times higher dose than you might get from your diet. I'm unconvinced but it seems there is no definitive answer about strontium at present.

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Hi I was wondering if anyone has updates on the strontium for bone health. a before and after bone density test would be best. thanks! (or anything else that helped their bone density)

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@glogirl

Hi I was wondering if anyone has updates on the strontium for bone health. a before and after bone density test would be best. thanks! (or anything else that helped their bone density)

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There are comments from advocates of strontium citrate in earlier threads- bonelady has a blog and kathleen@1314 has had positive experiences completely reversing osteoporosis with SC. Very encouraging to those of us looking for alternatives.

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