Why is bone health important and how does it work?
Our bones play various key functions for our bodies, and it is therefore important to maintain their health. To do so, it is essential to understand how our bones work and what factors affect bone health. Bone metabolism is a lifelong occurring process where bone tissue is turned over from mature to new bone tissue. This process keeps your bones healthy and their health is influenced by several aspects, such as age, gender, family history and several risk factors such as tobacco use, physical inactivity and diet.
Bone health, menopause, and dietary supplements
Menopause is the permanent cessation of menstruation naturally occurring in females at an average age of 51 [1].
Importantly, menopause leads to a decrease in estrogen levels and consequently increases bone loss. Estrogen is a hormone responsible for menstruation and known to have protective effects on bone loss and reduce inflammation.
Bone tissue in women is generally thinner than in men, and bone density has been reported to markedly decrease after menopause (post-menopause). Women can lose up to 20% of their bone density in just 5-7 years due to these hormonal shifts and experience increased joint pain [2].
The rise in use of dietary supplements, especially by post-menopausal women, who are at risk of bone loss, is growing tremendously as advances in research are made, and the benefits of multiple natural ingredients are proven [3]. For example, Bonolive®, an olive leaf extract that reduces menopausal symptoms.
How does bone metabolism work?
Bone metabolism, also known as bone remodelling, is a lifelong process where bone tissue is turned over from mature to new bone tissue. Bone resorption is the process where mature bone tissue is removed by osteoclasts and ossification is the formation of new bone tissue executed by osteoblasts [4]. These processes are responsible for replacing and reshaping bone following injuries such as fractures, but also micro-damage occurring during normal activity.
In the early stages of life, nearly 100% of the skeleton is replaced, due to the bones needing to develop, lengthen and grow. While in adults, bone remodelling proceeds at about 10% yearly [5].
For as long as bone growth is greater than bone breakdown, adults can maintain healthy bones. Many living cells within bone originate from the same mesenchymal stem cell. These mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into the various cell types present in bone, such as osteoblasts (bone-building cells), adipocytes (fat cells) and chondrocytes (cartilage) [6].
However, due to stress, inflammation and ageing, this differentiation shifts towards producing more fat cells and fewer osteoblasts, resulting in more brittle and fatty bones [7]. Usually, bone mass starts to decline at the age of 40 as bone loss overtakes the speed of bone growth [8].
Fortunately, there are factors at play that we have control over to mitigate this bone loss.
What are the factors influencing bone health?
Although both our genes and the environment influence bone health, there is only one we have control over. Our genes, for example, determine whether signalling errors occur and lead to birth defects, while extrinsic factors, such as lifestyle and diet, are crucial for optimising and maintaining bone health. Bone loss, also referred to as osteoporosis, affects people of all different ages and backgrounds. However, other intrinsic factors that are out of our control include:
• Age: naturally as we grow older, our bone mass and strength decrease. This is mainly due to decreased osteoblast activity and an increase in osteoblast apoptosis, while inflammation increases [9,10].
• Gender: osteoporosis is four times more common in women than men [11].
• Body frame size: people with small body frames tend to have a higher risk of bone loss as they have less bone mass to draw from as they age.
• Family history: having a parent or sibling with osteoporosis puts you at greater risk.
Fortunately, however, we do have the ability to modify extrinsic factors such as physical activity, diet choices and lifestyle choices. Here is how they can disturb bone health:
• Tobacco use: smoking contributes to weak bones by disturbing the balance of bone turnover negatively.
• Physical inactivity: just like muscles, bones get stronger by exercising them. Resistance exercise and weight-bearing exercise help with this.
• Alcohol use: alcohol interferes with the calcium balance and affects the production of hormones, linking chronic alcohol intake to an increase in bone fractures and falls.
• Diet: foods high in calcium, and vitamin D such as dairy products and green leafy vegetables should be consumed in sufficient quantities to support the maintenance of bone health [12]. Additionally, polyphenols such as oleuropein can help mitigate bone loss, especially with age, through their anti-oxidative effects reducing inflammation [13].
If you want to know more about the crucial nutrients for bone health, click here and read our article on the 8 best ingredients.
