Fluoride Intake Increases Bone Fractures

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Once upon a time, fluoride was used as an experimental treatment for osteoporosis despite FDA’s disapproval of its practice. Although while fluoride does increase the bone’s mineral density, it does so that it makes the bone brittle and is thus more prone to fracture. Back then, fluoride was not known to interfere with bone’s natural process of remodelling. As a result, people who are treated with their osteoporosis have excessively mineralized and enlarged bones. Fluoride Action Network puts it as the “a disruption of the precise architecture needed to maintain resistance to fracture.”

Increasing Bone Fractures as Blamed to Fluoride in India

Vivek Logani, chief of joint replacement surgery at Gurgaon’s Paras Hospital in India, described fluoride as “one of the oldest drugs available for managing osteoporosis.” However, its bone mass gains comes at a price of an increased rate in bone fractures. In fact, numerous studies show that fluoride may not only cause skeletal fragility but also osteomalacia.

It is because of the result of these studies that the US National Research Council ordered the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce the levels of fluoride in drinking water. Studies conducted on animals even show that more more exposure to fluoride causes a loss on bone strength.

Fluoride, an Anti-bone Chemical as Bisphosphonate Drugs

Unlike common misconceptions, having a thicker bones does not always equate to stronger bones. A misconception people behind FAN would like to clarify. Its lesson was learned well bisphosphonate osteoporosis drugs such as Fosamax, Boniva, and Actonel. Similar to fluoride, these drugs actually kills our bodies’ osteoclasts thereby altering the normal process of bone re-modelling. In the end, going through any of these medications leaves our bones more denser, but at the same time, weaker and more prone to fracture.

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Diet: Key to Stronger Bones

Another common misconception about bone is the minerals that comprises it. While calcium and vitamin D are two common mineral and vitamin essential to a strong bone, our bones are more than just those two. In fact, Dr. Robert Thompson, in his book The Calcium Lie, explained that our bones are composed of many other minerals other than calcium. Calcium alone is not suffice to make a strong bone but rather make it weaker and thus result to osteoporosis. To get stronger bones, minerals such as calcium, vitamins D, K2, and magnesium work must work synergistically to attain it. In addition, our bodies’ sodium to potassium ratio plays an important role in maintaining bone mass.

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