Collagen for bone loss? Effective?

To @mpc1 @debbie1956 I was just diagnosed this year at 63 YO. My spine and hip DeXa score are similar to yours (spine -3.2, hip -2-2). I have also opted not to go on medications. Can you tell me what actions you are taking to slow down/reverse your bone loss?

I had to ask my endocrinologist to do the tests to rule out any underlying causes. Vitamin D deficiency and low intake of calcium were the only items of concern.

I just started collagen this month. I use OsteoNaturals sold by Dr McCormick. I also eat a balanced diet, trying to get more than the minimum amount recommended by the RDA of calcium and proteins. I make sure I include prunes (everyday), kale, salmon, apple cider vinegar, broccoli, lean proteins, yogurt, cheeses, fermented foods etc. into my diet. I take a Vitamin D supplement (it has Vitamin D3, K1,K2). I average 8,000 steps a day. I do Dr Loren Fishman’s 12 yoga poses every other day. I lift weights 2-3 times a week, although I haven’t gone past 10 pounds yet. I do balancing exercises. I also play golf 2-3 times a week!!

I only weigh 100 pounds, and have read that thin and fine boned women’s DEXA scores can be skewed to be worse than they actually are because of the small size of their bones. I wish there was a definitive way to find out!! My CTX score is not crazy (479) so I am not rapidly destroying bone; I am trying to work on this by looking for foods that lower osteoclast activity. My P1NP is 63.

Reading @mpc1 story, I feel as if OP has a lot to do with genetics. My grandmother and mother both had OP. They never went on medications; it wasn’t invented yet for my grandma which was probably a good thing! She fractured her wrist in her 80s and she lived until she was 95. My mother refused medication in the 1990s. She fractured just last year at 90 years old when she tripped and fell; she had a hip replacement and she was walking the next day!!. She still drives!! I hope my genes take after them!!

I am going to get a DEXA next year even if I have to pay for it and see if my efforts help. I will also look for a place that can do a TBS score. If I get worse, it will be a difficult decision about medication because I feel strong and am so active now. If I am holding steady, then it will be a win because all the other things I am doing is beneficial for my body. I feel scared about all the side effects people experience with the meds, and it’s not from reading about it!! I have several friends who have taken them (fosamax, reclast, prolia), and they have joint pains, flu like symptoms, and 1 of them has experienced multiple fractures while on Prolia!! My friend who is on Prolia has had skin and eye problems (she never has them before), and this is a person who was very active; she lifted weights, would jog for miles!!

Please keep us posted. I stopped Tymlos because I felt awful while on it and I'm dreading going back on another medication. I am also an active 63 year old.

I just started BHRT about a month ago and am hoping doc will increase estradiol when I see her in 3 months. Dose I am on now is not bone protective. I also use Osteonaturals collagen. I get most of my calcium from my diet, stay active, take a Vit D supplement and a low dose of K2. I have lifted weights on and off but am currently beta testing an app for building bone strength. Nothing else.

@daisy17, Thanks so much for your comprehensive reply. I use Great Lakes Collagen which I assume hasn't been studied. I'm trying to decide if I should switch to Fortibone.

It remains a very small study, but thank you for pointing that out. 31 people in a study is very small.

The study I saw the results of compared Fortibone to a placebo; not to another hydrolyzed collagen peptide. Who knows; a cheaper collagen may even be better or the same. Marketing!

I would definitely switch to a product containing Fortibone since studies show that it increases bone density.

Two years after Evenity, she had the loss. It is all so confusing, and complicated.
Something’s it seems like throwing darts at a wall.
Best to you!

There are so many collagen supplements, can be confusing…i check with consumers lab and sites like the Mayo Clinic to try and figure this out… not a fan of powders at all… limited choices for caps or tabs..still looking..if anyone has some info, please post it !