Osteoporosis: A Comprehensive Guide to Beneficial Supplements

I am posting this as an update to the recent article on osteoporosis (9/7/23). I forgot to include one supplement that I had on my list for the article and am adding another supplement. By adding these two supplements, it gives the readers more choices in case any of the supplements cause unwanted side effects, you will have the option to replace it.

Berberine

The supplement I forgot is Berberine, which has, in recent studies, suggested benefit for bone regeneration in osteoporosis as discussed in the following link :

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378874121004761?via=ihub

Here is a relevant quote from the review :

• ' Berberine has a long history of medicinal use to treat various diseases including bone disease in China. Recent studies have defined its function in promoting bone regeneration and great potential in developing new drugs. '

Berberine is generally found in 500 mg capsules and is often used at 1000 to 1500 mg/day in divided doses.

Selenium

The second supplement is Selenium and selenium has shown that higher levels in the body are associated with improved bone mineral density (BMD) and lower levels of selenium are associated with increased risk for osteoporosis as discussed here in this 2023 meta analysis of multiple studies. Selenium supplements are generally available in 200 mcg capsules and Selenomethionine is considered to be a good form :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10322231/

Here is a relevant quote from the meta analysis :

' From 748 non-duplicate publications, 19 studies were included. We found a significantly positive association between dietary selenium intake (β = 0.04,95% confidence interval (CI) 0.00 to 0.07, p = 0.029) as well as serum selenium (β = 0.13,95% CI 0.00 to 0.26, p = 0.046) and BMD. Consistently, those with higher selenium intake had a lower risk of OP (OR = 0.47,95% CI 0.31 to 0.72, p = 0.001), and patients with OP had a significantly lower level of serum selenium than healthy controls (WMD = -2.01,95% CI -3.91 to -0.12, p = 0.037). High dietary selenium intake was associated with a lower risk of hip fracture (OR = 0.44,95% CI 0.37 to 0.52, p < 0.001). '

So the addition of these two supplements can potentially be additive to the original supplements and can offer alternate choices for a person who does not tolerate a supplement from the original list.

Here is the new complete list of supplements :

1. Magnesium

2. Vitamin K2

3. Strontium Citrate

4. Boron

5. Vitamin B6

6. Vitamin D

7. Berberine

8. Selenium

9. Melatonin

Art

I'll second that!

Thank you Art and all who run Earth clinic, it's a wonderful site. I am very grateful.

This is a complex subject.

AVOID STRONTIUM IT SKEWS DEXA SCAN AND GIVES YOU FALSE DENSITY INCREASES.

DO NOT TAKE CALCIUM SUPPLEMENTS. THEY LAND IN HEART.

ONLY CALCIUM FROM FOOD AND GET CALCIUM LEVELS CHECKED BY DOCTOR.

YOU MUST TAKE K2, VITAMIN D, MINERALS AND BORON AND EAT NATURAL FOOD SOURCE CALCIUM

What is cause of osteoporosis?

Lack of estrogen and minerals depletion.

Read The Calcium Lie

Read about dexa scans

Read about big pharma drugs

Lots of informative books on Amazon.

Go to gym and build bone, use a weight belt.

Hi RSW,

It's been a minute!

Your list looks good, but I would not start those all at once. I like the vitamin D which is generally well tolerated and similarly, magnesium in a more bioavailable form. Vitamin K2 is generally well tolerated also at that dose. Definitely the boron unless you are already taking borax for arthritis, in which case you are already getting the boron. Selenium is also generally well tolerated. If you are already taking melatonin at that dose range, great. I would consider adding Berberine and the others a little later if you tolerate the ones I mentioned above. Give it a year and let us know how you do.

Art

Just wanted to give an update to this article with this new study (April 2024) that adds a bit more confirmatory data and mechanisms of action to the idea that melatonin is useful for osteoporosis :

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38618998/

Here is a relevant study quote :

' Notably, MLT significantly increased the production of short-chain fatty acids and decreased trimethylamine N-oxide-related metabolites. Importantly, MLT could modulate the dynamic balance of M1/M2 macrophages, reduce the serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and restore gut-barrier function. Taken together, our results highlighted the important roles of gut microbially derived MLT in OP progression via the "gut-bone" axis associated with SCFA metabolism, which may provide novel insight into the development of MLT as a promising drug for treating OP. '

Art

I forgot to mention, Shaz, that people with GERD who use proton pump inhibitors (PPI's), which is very typical for people with GERD, are at increased risk for osteoporosis.

Art

RSW,

I forgot to mention that the boron may help with your arthritis.

Art

Thank you, Art. You are a blessing to everyone on this site!

I also wanted to thank you for posting about not drinking large amounts of green tea. I had always thought it was so good for you, that you could drink as many cups as you wanted. Now I limit it to one cup per day, or less, and drink black or herbal tea instead. Good to know!

Hi Lora,

Magnesium glycinate is what I use and is considered to be one of the bioavailable forms of magnesium. Topical magnesium chloride spray is additive to the magnesium glycinate for fibromyalgia.

PAD is considered a form of atherosclerosis, so you may be interested in this:

https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/high-dose-nattokinase-for-atherosclerosis.html

Art

Just posted!

https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/osteoporosis-supplements-art-solbrig.html

Thank you so much, Art!

Great article - thank you. I am glad you did not mention calcium as a supplement ... it is best to get this from natural food sources like organic grass-fed yogurt, sardines and sockeye salmon with bones and skin, cottage cheese, grass-fed cheese, bok choy and broccoli.

Adding Boron to the supplements mentioned really seemed to make a difference for me. Vit K2 along with Vit D is critical to shuttle calcium to the proper areas, otherwise you are risking calcification of the arteries.

Hi Shaz,

The important part is that the supplements are available in the body to be used for the purpose each day.

The vitamin D and vitamin K2M7 are fat soluble and can be stored in the body. The melatonin dose you are describing (20 mcg) is not even one fourth of a milligram and is very low and of little value at that dose for the purpose. It looks like you are in the UK and I recently posted a link to a place in the UK where you can purchase melatonin powder in bulk for possibly making the melatonin lotion which I think might be more useful than oral melatonin for the purpose you have in mind. Here is that link :

https://www.earthclinic.com/supplements/topical-melatonin-pain-relief-success-stories2.html#uk_205232

The other supplements only need to be available in the body so that they can interact in the body for the desired purpose.

If you are correct that your gut issue is GERD, oral melatonin has shown some benefit for alleviating GERD as discussed here :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2821302/#:~:text=Conclusion, relieving epigastric pain and heartburn.

Here is a relevant quote from the human study :

' We used an oral fast release melatonin at a dose of 3 mg/day for 4 and 8 weeks. Werbach [24] found that melatonin up to 6 mg at bedtime may be an effective treatment for GERD with fewer and less serious adverse effects. It was found that treatment of GERD with melatonin, omeprazole or both was duration dependent. Patients treated with melatonin for four weeks and patients treated with omeprazole for four weeks showed incomplete improvement of GERD symptoms. These findings are in agreement with Gavert and Harvey [25]. Moreover, in patients treated with melatonin for eight weeks and patients treated with melatonin and omeprazole for four weeks, there was complete improvement of GERD symptoms as heartburn and epigastric pain. These findings were in agreement with Pereira [26] who reported that dietary supplementation containing melatonin and L-tryptophan, which is a substrate for melatonin biosynthesis in patients with GERD, resulted in remarkable remission of GERD symptoms in the majority of treated patients. '

In the study that used MDSK combination, I think it would still have been been effective if given individually at various times of the day, but it seems that treating and resolving the GERD first is very important as a first step, because people with GERD have lower levels of melatonin compared to non GERD controls. This could be a contributing factor to the osteoporosis.

Art

Family members remind me that I have had arthritis for 1.5 years, not 2.5 years. I think that is good news and hope to get my memory back if I can ever stop this and get back to no pain and swelling everywhere. Best wishes to all the wonderful people on this site, and thank you, Diedra for creating this site.

My primary doctor just called and said I had osteoporosis and suggested I take 1200 mg of calcium plus D3. I immediately looked up Art's recommendation and found no calcium (which I had stopped taking about 6 mos ago due to my belief too much deposits into arteries).

• I read with glee of no calcium. I take magnesium glycinate 133 mg three or four times daily to control my fibromyalgia. I take 5-10k D3 and it has controlled my arthritis immensely. Is this the right magnesium?

I am a 78 yr old female and felt 42 until my PAD attacked beyond chelation and began stent surgery as posted earlier probably because of my love for ff, BLT and ice cream.

I am so thankful I found Earth Clinic and its common sense and researched support. I have a logical brain and the drs will never talk me into statins.

Sorry so many illnesses and questions. I hope I have made sense. I plan on living to at least 100 in good health.

BChristine,

Thank you very much for the thoughtful words of appreciation!

Yes, I completely agree, in most cases sufficient calcium should be gotten from food and many supplements are simply too much. I don't think the body is designed to handle such large amounts of calcium in such a short period of time as a calcium supplement is likely to deliver. That's why I did not list calcium on the list of potential osteoporosis supplements.

The hard part with osteoporosis is it takes roughly 9 months to a year to see measurable benefit from supplements or medications.

Art

Art, thank you for your response and information. I noticed I had written 20 mcg of Melatonin...I apologise this was a typo. It is actually 20 mg of Melatonin.

I was wondering whether the Gerd may be a contributing factor for the Osteoporosis (malnutrition/malabsorption). Unfortunately, the medical system here in the UK does not seem to be in any rush to give me any tests regardless of how often I push...but anyway that's another story. Thanks again Art.

Pharmacogenetics is the branch of pharmacology that examines the relation of genetic factors to variations in response to drugs (supplements, vaccines).

Listen to your body. What is beneficial for one could be harmful for another. Try to reduce the dose or stop the supplement for few days. Repeat. You then will know if the supplement is good for you.

Hi Art,

I have been going around in circles for the past month or more, trying to focus and get an order ready for Amazon of the bone supplements you suggest. I have read and re-read the various articles, but have been unable to create a list. I was also thinking of adding silica to the list to aid in bone repair since I am warned at every Rheumatologist visit that my right hip is in bad shape and the rest aren't good, either. I have put off taking the daily injections of chemicals for bone density that the doctor wants me to take. I have been pre-occupied with finding some natural relief for this multi-site, multi kinds of Arthritis, but after 2 1/2 years of trying whatever I can think of or read about with little relief, I am actually considering taking Methotrexate, although I loathe the thought, and this will not address the poor bone density. If I am reading and interpreting your suggestions for bone density supplements correctly ( and with this monkey-mind, (no offense to monkeys), I can't focus nor remember much.) Here is what I have so far-

1) Magnesium 300 mg/day

2) K2 200 - 300, mcg's/ day, Menaquinone 7

3) Strontium Citrate 450 mg. (Not sure about a poster's comment about not taking this).

4) Boron 20 mg/day

5) B6 as P5P, 50mg/day

6) Vit D3

7) Berberine 500 mg capsule, 1000/day

8) Selenium Selenomethonine 200 mg.

9) Melatonin - for me, up to 30mg/night seems like a good number.

10) Silica - supposedly helps with bone repair - I was thinking of adding this.

I would like to send my order in soon so I can get started repairing these bones. Do you see anything that doesn't look right on the list or anything I have forgotten?

Thank you for putting this all together, Art, with the vast amount of research you have posted. I don't know how I ended up with these bones and arthritis, always being active, doing yoga and cleaning the house and working in the yard, but I am so grateful for this advice. Thank you so much! Take care!

I have recently been diagnosed with osteoporosis and I am looking to start Art's recommendations (supplements) to try and manage and hopefully improve my bone health. For reference I have copied the supplements Art recommends below and I have already purchased these:

Magnesium, K2M7, Strontium Citrate, Boron and P5P. I also would like to take D3 and B12. I have also been taking 20 mcg of melatonin for the last few months and intend to continue doing so.

My query is that would rather space these supplements out through the day as I am currently suffering with what I believe is GERD (undiagnosed) but understand that some of these supplements have to be taken alongside another for it to be effective. Can anyone provide any advice on which of these supplements have to be taken together so I can better determine how to space them out please?

I hope I have explained this properly and that someone can assist me. Many thanks in advance.

Hi Art! Thank you for your article!

Just wanted to give feedback regarding stronium. I had recently tried a new calcium supplement that among other things like boron and vitamin K2 included strontium citrate. After a few days of not feeling quite right, I took a deeper look at the feedback and reviews on the supplement I was taking. One person warned that the strontium in the product is quite dangerous and suggested that one do their own research on strontium before taking this supplement... While I found other articles starting the dangers of various forms of stronium, here is a link to an article that I found by the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation warning of the dangers of stronium :

https://americanbonehealth.org/medications-bone-health/why-strontium-is-not-advised-for-bone-health/

I don't know if that was the cause of my malaise but I did feel better after I quit taking the supplement.

Yes, but strontium is questionable. If it is sprayed in the sky, why would it be in a supplement?

What do you mean adding boron?