Silica Osteopenia Osteoporosis

Silica Osteopenia Osteoporosis mineral. Silica is another trace mineral that like Boron receives little attention in the popular press.

Silicon dioxide  is the technical chemical name for this trace mineral - which is very hard.  Since the 9th century it has been known for its hardness.It is most commonly found in nature as sand or quartz.(You may have felt its grittiness if you have been to the shore.)

If you have sufficient amounts of this trace mineral in your diet you will have stronger bones, better skin, more flexible joints.

In addition it seems to boost the benefits of calcium, glucosomine and vitamin D. And scientists believe that it provides defense against aluminum toxicity - something that has been associated with Alzheimer's disease.

When we are very young we have more silica and less calcium in our bodies. As we age the ratio between these two minerals reverses.

Silica  is a major ion in the bone-forming cells in young, uncalcified bone. As  bone matures, the concentrations declines and deposits of calcium and phosphorous increase. But the trace mineral remainsimportant. It acts as a regulating factor for calcium and phosphorous in bone tissue. ( Life Extension Magazine April 2003.)

Major nutritional sources:

Although the mineral is found in soil and sand, none of us are eating that! Bananas, beer and string beans seem to be the best food sources. An article in the Am. J. Clin. Nutrition in may 2002 noted that men tended to have greater silicon in their bodies than women - the authors assumed that was because men drank more beer!

For your bones. As we age, there appears to be a reduction in the amount of our silica. Some English researchers with funding from the British Food Standards Agency are studying the amount of the mineral in older British Women and the possible relationship between this mineral and bone health - and whether silicon is essential for proper useof two necessary bone building vitamins: Vitamin D and Vitamin K.

Meantime, do eat bananas and string beans (Note I am not advocating beer drinking since alcohol is a problem for those strong bones. See: Alcohol Osteoporosis Connection)

 Silica Osteopenia Osteoporosis supplement

One of the reasons I use Advacal Ultra as my calcium supplement is that Advacal Ultra does includes micro nutrients. It has 90mg of silica as well as the other trace minerals needed for bone building  such as boron, manganese etc.

To read more about Advacal go to: Advacal for bone building