BONE HEALTH/ SUPPLEMENTS FOR BONE HEALTH

Bone is living tissue. It contains both an organic protein matrix (30 percent) and various minerals (70) percent. Bone is in a constant state of flux. Cells known as Osteoblasts construct Bone Matrix and fill it with Calcium. At the same time, cells called Osteoclasts work just as busily to tear down and resorb the bone. This fine balance is regulated by many factors including systemic hormone and Cytokines. The bodys main concern is to maintain calcium narrow range, not to maintain bone mass. If calcium levels in the bone fall to low, the body will actually pull calcium from bone to fill the need. Bone mass reaches its peak by the middle of the third decade of life and plateaus for about 10 years. During this time bone turnover remains relatively constant, meaning bone formulation approximately equals bone resorption.
As our bodies age, this balance is lost. As the relative hormone levels shift in midlife-- more drastically in women than in men --- the Osteoclasts gain the upper hand, and bone mass begins dwindling. Bone is being lost by the time women reach menopause, the rate of loss increase by tenfold during the first six years after menopause.