Potassium Citrate helps bone density

[Celebration]

http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20061012-013339-9545r

BASEL, Switzerland, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- A potassium citrate supplement can counteract the modern diet's high acidity, which can lead to increased bone density in older women, says a Swiss study.

The study included 161 postmenopausal women, average age 59 years, who all had low bone mass placing them at risk for fracture. One group was randomly assigned to take daily potassium citrate supplement as tablets, which provides a very small amount of base -- alkali. The other group took a potassium chloride supplement, which provided the same amount of potassium but without base.

The study, published in the November Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, finds women taking the base supplement had a significant, 1 percent increase in bone mineral density in the vertebrae of the lower back. For women taking the non-base potassium chloride supplement, lumbar spine bone mineral density decreased significantly by approximately 1 percent.

"Our results demonstrate for the first time that merely by partially reversing the acidity of the diet, bone mass increased rapidly and in amounts that are within the range of increases produced by common Food and Drug Administration approved medicines," said Dr. Reto Krapf, of the University of Basel, in Switzerland

[Arger68]

1. So does sildenafil citrate.

:P

[Donnachaidh]

2. but but but -- what will we DO with all those toxic, expensive drugs

Big Pharma wants us to take to fix our old bones? You know, the ones with six or seven side effects that can ruin your health in other ways? Can you tell I'm sick of pharma ads? :sarcasm:

[phantom power]

3. Dietary neutronium is good for bone density too. If you can find it.

[crikkett]

5. ???

Neutronium is a colloquial and often misused term for an extremely dense phase of matter that occurs in the intense pressure found in the core of neutron stars and is currently not well understood. It is not an accepted term in astrophysics literature for reasons which will be explained below, but is used with some regularity in science fiction (e.g., Peter F. Hamilton's The Neutronium Alchemist). ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutronium

[Celebration]

6. Ah, forget it

Methinks it is a post done in "code." Meaning--no substance in it. Best to ignore.

[flyarm]

4. STAY OFF FOSOMAX..SEVERAL LAWSUITS IN FLA OF WOMEN

losing bone in their jaw ..horribly!!

fly

[silverweb]

8. Yup, avascular necrosis.

A very nasty, nasty risk of taking any bisphosphonate, of which Fosamax is only one.

Bisphosphonates currently on the market include: etidronate (Didronel), pamidronate (Aredia), alendronate (Fosamax), risedronate (Actonel), zoledronate (Zometa), and ibandronate (Boniva).

[silverweb]

7. Hurray!

Maybe now we can discourage friends and family from taking bisphosphonates, what with all their nasty risks and side effects!